Going and Going
by Jetainia
Summary: Fills for the auction event on the Hogwarts forum. Occasional oneshots from other fandoms, but it's mainly Harry Potter.
1. A Late Night

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Gryffindor MC (N); Advice from the Mug (N); Tiny Terror (N); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N)  
Representations: Harry Potter; Teddy Lupin; Father/son relationship  
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional  
Prompts: "Please just come home [...]" (auction); Bed (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 373

* * *

"Please just come home," the child begged in the silence of the night. "I need you to come home."

His father had been away for too long. He had said that he would be back by ten, that he had to work late but he would be back. Teddy knew what that meant. If Dad had to work late, it meant that he was out on a dangerous mission that required the dead of night. His Dad was in danger and Teddy couldn't do anything.

Teddy didn't remember anything about his biological parents; he knew the stories his Gran and Dad told him but nothing more than that. Still, he knew they had loved him, that they had died so he could live as happily as he was. He missed them without knowing them. He couldn't lose his Dad like he had lost his parents.

The front door lock clicked and Teddy's head shot up. As the door swung open, Teddy threw himself at it and the man entering. He buried his head into his father's chest and inhaled the warm and comforting scent that was safety. Arms curled around him and picked him up, holding him closer.

"Hey, Teds," his father said.

"You were late, I thought you weren't coming back."

"I'm sorry." His father kissed Teddy's head. "I'll try not to be so late next time. I promise you, I will always do my best to return to you. How about we get you into bed now, hmm?"

Teddy nodded and clung to his Dad as he was carried to his room. He was exhausted now, the anxiety of his Dad not being home having drained him and kept him awake. Now that he was sure his Dad was alive and safe his eyes were struggling to stay open.

He pulled his Dad down as he was placed on the bed. "Stay," he requested, and his father nodded.

Teddy smiled as his father left the room and returned a few minutes later in his pyjamas and laid down on the bed. He snuggled into the warmth. His father was already asleep—exhausted from work. Teddy let himself drift off, content now that his father was home and right next to him.


	2. Family Advice

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; Spring Bingo  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Gryffindor MC (N); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N)  
Representations: Percy Weasley; Muriel Weasley; Familial advice  
Bonus Challenges: Second Verse (Not a Lamp; White Dress)  
Prompts: Percy Weasley & Great Aunt Muriel (auction); Advice (365 words); Percy Weasley (Insane Prompts); Bingo - 1D (Union/Covenant)  
Word count: 386  
Note: I've edited Percy's name to be Percival because I felt like it.

* * *

"Child," Percy closed his eyes and suppressed a groan as he recognised his great-great-aunt Muriel's voice. "What do you think you are doing turning away from your family like this?"

"I have to put my trust in the Ministry, Aunt Muriel. They're siding with Dumbledore and I cannot remain with them."

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. "The Ministry is an organisation that protects itself as a whole, it does not care for the individual workers within it. Your parents will back you no matter what. The Ministry does not love you as they do."

"I am a good worker for them. I have been ever since I started."

"And yet you could be fired at any moment. Could you not be fired right now if you publicly announced you were siding with your family and Dumbledore?"

Muriel's words made sense but Percy didn't want to believe them. He _had_ to believe in the Ministry of Magic. If that was corrupt, his world would turn upside down. His father had often complained about the disorder and slow pace he faced while at work and Percy had wanted to make sure that was fixed.

"It makes no difference," he said.

"Percival Weasley, our family is one that sticks with each other through thick and thin. We stood behind each other when the Malfoy's declared their blood feud. We banded together when this Dark Lord first tried to sway us to his cause. We do not follow the crowd. We stay with the family."

Percy sighed. "It's too late now, even if I wanted to go back. They wouldn't take me back in."

"Pish posh," Muriel scoffed. "Your mother has been asking me if I've seen you ever since you left the Burrow. As you requested, I did not tell her you were staying here but if you do not see reason soon, I will."

With her mind said, Muriel stalked back out of the room and left Percy with his thoughts. He had expected her to scold him and give him her advice when he first asked if he could stay with her, but he hadn't expected her to make so much sense. He looked up to where a photo of the Weasley family hung. That was where he belonged, with them. Not with the Ministry.


	3. In Sickness and in Health

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Forehead Kisses; Gryffindor MC (x2) (N); The 3rd Rule (N); Ethnic and Present (Y); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N)  
Representations: Parvati Patil; Lavender Brown; Sick Lavender  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Sneeze Weasel; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Parvati Patil/Lavender Brown (auction); Illness (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 306

* * *

Parvati stood over the pot of ulava charu she was making. It was a good broth soup for the sick with its high protein, calcium, and iron contents. Perfect for Lavender who was sick with a cold and anaemia. Soft music played from the radio as Lavender curled up on the couch listening to it. She had a blanket wrapped around her and was fighting sleep.

When the ulava charu was ready, Parvati ladled it into the two bowls over rice and carried them over to the couch. Lavender stirred as Parvati placed the bowl on the table and smiled gratefully. Parvati brushed a hand through Lavender's sweaty hair and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks," Lavender croaked out.

"Any time," Parvati replied.

She sat down next to Lavender and they both ate the soup in silence with only the soft strains of music to fill the void. It was comforting—even though Lavender was under the weather and not up to much conversation, Parvati still enjoyed the time they spent together.

It was reminiscent of their Hogwarts years, back when they were children who hadn't been though a war. Back then, they hadn't had jobs but classes that took away from their time together. They had also been exploring themselves; their hopes, dreams, and desires. That was why they hadn't gone to the Yule Ball together—they didn't know that that was both an option and something they wanted.

But now they knew. Now they were married and living together with thoughts of adopting a cat soon. Lavender placed her empty bowl back on the side table and curled up to Parvati's side. She gave a small cough and Parvati let her hands run through Lavender's hair to soothe her wife. Lavender smiled and let her eyes close, drifting off to a contented sleep.


	4. Pretend it's Home

Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Gryffindor MC (N); Death's Inevitable Master (Y); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N)  
Representations: Harry Potter; Immortality  
Prompts: All Night - Walk the Moon (auction); 600 words exactly (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 600

* * *

Harry sat on a spire of the roof of what had once been Hogwarts Castle. The ruins below him had been his home at one point, long ago. It was the place he had met his first friends, where he had outlasted the Dark Lord that had been so determined to kill him. His first truly happy memory since his parents died had been created in the castle he sat on.

He twirled the Elder Wand around in his fingers, the wood brushing against the metal of the ring that held the Resurrection Stone as it rolled around. The silky material of the Invisibility Cloak lay across his back, moving with the breeze that buffeted him from all sides. He paid no attention to the wind that was desperately trying to make him fall from his precarious perch.

Instead he stared out across time and saw moments from his youth play out before him. There was Draco Malfoy taking Neville's Remembrall and Harry flying on a broom for the first time. Fluffy growled at him, Ron, and Hermione as they stumbled into the third-floor corridor and he swallowed the Snitch in his first Quidditch game.

Memories replayed themselves as he watched. His time at Hogwarts laid out in the space in front of him. This was how he had spent his time before collecting the three items that cemented his role as Master of Death. It had already been in his blood from the time Death herself had appointed his ancestor a guardian, the Hallows merely affirmed the blessing (or curse) he carried within him.

He smiled softly as Luna appeared in front of him. She was beautiful; she knew what everyone thought of her and yet she carried on without a care. She had never changed for anyone but herself and never forced anyone else to change for her. Harry hadn't realized how much he needed that until she had entered his life.

He watched through the ripples of time as he and Luna lay curled together on a purple beanbag in the Room of Requirement. It had been marvellous just spending time with her after the DA meetings; those moments had been brief breaks from the madness that was happening outside of the room as Umbridge controlled Hogwarts with an iron fist.

He wanted to go home. He wished he could enter the home he had shared with Luna and have her still be there but that was impossible. Even the Master of Death couldn't keep a shade away from the afterlife indefinitely if they didn't want to stay. Harry would never force Luna to stay for him when all their friends and family were waiting where he could not go for many years yet.

So instead he sat upon Hogwarts, his first home, and watched his life with his family. It was something he would never tire of. Here, with the memories and the past surrounding him, he was as close to home as he could get. He had had the best life for a full lifetime, and he would never regret living it to the extent that he had. His problem lay in the fact that his lifetime was much longer than his family's.

His first home was in ruins from disuse and the home he had shared with Luna was held together by preservation charms and a cycle of house-elves. The only anchor he had left was his memories and his past. So even as the wind tried to dislodge him from his seat, he stayed where he was, transfixed by the people he saw.


	5. Green and Orange

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (N); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N)  
Representations: Harry Potter; Stephen Strange  
Prompts: Avengers AU (auction); Stranger (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 462

* * *

Doctor Stephen Strange examined the man standing in front of him. He was short, with black hair, green eyes, and a grin spreading across his face. He had popped up in the middle of the battle against a small pocket of Chitauri and had proceeded to take out the aliens while an orange light surrounded him. The light was gone now, fading into his body after the battle ended.

"And who might you be?" Stephen asked.

"Harry Potter, just here to lend a helping hand."

"A rather effective helping hand. Were you a student of the Ancient One?"

The man shrugged. "Once, long ago. I felt her passing a few months ago, a great loss to Kamar Taj and all who seek it out."

Stephen crossed his arms across his chest. The way the man was speaking made it sound as if he too, was tapping into the Dark Dimension to extend his life. The man winked as if he knew the direction Stephen's thoughts had headed. Stephen glared and turned to inspect the Chitauri; the Cloak helpfully swirling in a dramatic fashion.

Harry Potter laughed. "Relax, Doctor Strange, I did not follow her methods for long life. It was thrust upon me by a rather interesting stone; I believe you have one similar."

"The Eye of Agamotto," Stephen breathed out. "There were records of it having a brother stone. The Hand of Anubis."

"Yes. It called to me the way the Eye of Agamotto called to you. It grants me long life while I continue the duties it bestowed upon me."

"And what duties might those be?"

"These."

An orange light moved past Stephen and made its way to the Chitauri bodies that were still lying on the ground. As each body was covered with the light, it dissolved and joined the stream of light. Stephen watched it happen and marvelled at the power the man held.

"Anubis," he realised. "Egyptian god of death, you have power over the dead."

Harry stepped up to Stephen's side—who had never turned back around to look at him. "Technically, the soul. I have no power over death itself apart from my own. I guide souls to the underworld as Anubis does."

"Fascinating."

"Why thank you, but I'm really not that interesting. However, if you have any need of help in regards to the Eye, feel free to contact me."

With that, Harry was gone and Stephen was alone. His question of how he was supposed to contact the other man died in his throat and he sighed. At least there was no clean-up to be done after Harry had used the powers of the Hand of Anubis to remove the bodies.

"Let's go home," he told the Cloak and the fabric happily obeyed.


	6. Bunnies and Broomsticks

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Snicket Fence; FPC; Spring Bingo  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Mastermind MC  
Bonus Challenges: Fizzy Lemonade; Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Marauders Era (auction; Insane Prompts); Perfect (365 words); Bingo - 1E (Rabbit/Hare)  
Word Count: 426

* * *

The red-headed girl slipped into the room and was instantly met with eager stares. "Anything?" she was asked and she shook her head.

Flopping down on one the couches, she replied, "They're so thick-skulled it will probably take locking them in a broom closet while tying them together to get them to fess up. Honestly, those two are so convinced that they're on a one-way street that it's almost impossible to even suggest it might go two ways."

There were a few mutterings of disappointment as coins changed hands. "I was so sure it wouldn't take them this long. You're making me broke, Evans."

"You're the one that keeps betting they'll join the same Quidditch team every other week."

Lily scrunched up her nose. "Ew, Flanders. I do not want to think about two of my friends _polishing each other's broomsticks_ as you put it."

Flanders shrugged. "What can I say, they're some fine men that I wouldn't mind pulling under the bleachers.

"I'm just hedging my bets," Tress said, bringing the conversation back to her. "They're bound to start pretending they're bunnies at some point and I want to make sure that it happens when I bet it will."

Lily sank further into the couch. "Please stop referring to my friends as bunnies and broomsticks, I don't know if I can look them in the eyes, now."

"Evans," Tress said, placing her hand on Lily's leg and staring intently into her eyes. "These guys are the perfect archetype for the bad boy and the nerdy boy. We're talking about every teen girl's favourite plot line and we're teen girls living vicariously through you. You have _got_ to get them together."

"Tress, I have been trying ever since we started this group. It's been two years, what else can I do?"

"You could always lock them in a broom closet while they're tied together," suggested Heron, looking up from her homework for a few moments. "You did say that would be the only way to get the message through their thick skulls."

Lily hummed thoughtfully. "Alright, gather round. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to need your help."

"Twelve Galleons on them getting together next week!" Tress yelled out and the other girls started placing their bets as well.

"Guys," Lily said with exasperation, "we can place bets later. How about we just try and figure out how we're going to get Sirius and Remus into a broom closet at the same time while also tying them together and making sure they can't escape?"


	7. Case Contacts

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Snicket Fence; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Ethnic and Present; Wheels Up; Hacker MC; Ravenclaw MC; Slytherin MC  
Representations: Penelope Garcia; Luna Lovegood; Blaise Zabini  
Bonus Challenges: Bee Haven; Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Criminal Minds (auction); Murder (365 words); Cousins (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 461

* * *

Penelope wheeled her chair to the desk opposite her and brought the monitor to life. It was a monitor that wasn't often used but was highly necessary. Fingers flying over the keyboard to access the subroutine that activated the call out, Penelope cast a glance back at the image still on her main computer screen. Completely unmarked body with extensive nerve damage and death by heart attack with no history listed and no other cause immediately apparent to the medical examiner.

It had all the markings of a magical death and that meant Penelope had to bring in the experts. That was one of the reasons she worked in the BAU, after all. She wasn't magical herself, but her cousins were, and they had brought her into the secret of the wizarding world when she was young.

The Ministry of Magic liked having people in Muggle agencies that could alert them to magical cases that crossed the desks of Muggles and Penelope had decided that she would help out. Of course, that was only after she had been recruited by the FBI from her previous hacking career that she had enjoyed immensely.

The monitor in front of her dinged and she quickly uploaded the case file before switching it off and rolling back to her normal monitor, wiping the file from the screen when she did so. An agent would arrive in a few moments for a full briefing but until then, she had records to dig up for her team in the field.

Only five minutes later, there was a knock on her door and two wix stepped in. She twirled around and grinned when she saw who had arrived.

"We should make this official," she said. "You guys are from here on out the only wix I will see in my office."

Luna smiled. "What makes you think it wasn't official before?"

Penelope merely got up and proceeded to hug the life out of her cousin and Blaise. "I know that you're here for murder, but I will take any excuse to see you."

"Sadly, serial killers tend to take precedence. Shall we wrap this up quickly so we can all go out for dinner tonight?" Blaise suggested.

Luna and Penelope nodded. Penelope moved back to her computer and clicked open the case file before taking the two wix through it. After they had all the information and another quick hug, the two walked back out of her office and vanished into the small Apparition room where they could use magic freely without fritzing all of the technology in the BAU.

Penelope watched them go, grinning. Her phone and rang and she hurried to pick it up. "He who seeks the Queen of All Knowledge, speak and be recognised."


	8. Safety at all Costs

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Spring Bingo; Specious Narrative  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC  
Representations: Ginny Weasley; Ginny being affected by Riddle's Horcrux  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Ameliorate  
Prompts: Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini/Luna Lovegood (auction); Pastel (365 words); Making a potion (Insane Prompts); Bingo - 4B (Pink)  
Word count: 381  
Warning: Plans of using a suggestion potion and taking away autonomy, not Ginny friendly

* * *

Ginny stared after the wannabe ex-Death Eater as he stalked away. She hadn't been expecting him to corner her and tell her to back off. Who was he to warn her away from her own boyfriend (even if that boyfriend had broken up with her ages ago)? Ginny's eyes flashed as she saw the male wrap his arms around Harry who had just exited Flourish and Blotts and Harry returning the gesture. Without even glancing back at her, the two of them walked down the alley.

She was held back from calling out to Harry by Zabini's warning. She had no desire to see if the Italian had learned the things he said he did from his mother. Lips firming into a hard line, Ginny glared at the retreating forms. Fine. If she couldn't have Harry, she'd have the next best thing. She turned on her heel and stormed away to the Leaky Cauldron and the fireplace there.

Her plans hit a snag when she realised Neville was happily engaged to Luna but she shrugged the complication away. Luna wasn't about to threaten death on Ginny just because she was planning to rekindle the spark Neville and Ginny had had during her third year. She had stepped away from Neville because Harry had finally expressed an interest in her but now Harry was completely blocked off from her and Neville wasn't.

It wasn't that there weren't any other guys that caught Ginny's eye, it was that both Harry and Neville were noble and had shown they were willing to do anything to save those they loved. Ginny wanted that in her partner and she would have it. That way she would always be safe and nothing like her first year of Hogwarts would happen ever again.

The pastel pink suggestion potion sparkled in the cauldron as Ginny examined it for any impurities, stirring it once more. She was meeting Neville and Luna that night for a catch-up dinner. She would slip the potion into their drinks and suggest that they would make a magnificent trio. With Neville in front of her and Luna by her side, Ginny would have everything she could want.

All it would take was a little bit of potion and a suggestion and she would be safe.


	9. Shadowy Deals

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald (auction); Shadow (365 words); Crime/Mafia AU (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 317

* * *

"You're crossing a line, Gellert."

Even shrouded by shadow, Gellert's face was one that would make Narcissus jealous. "Is that so, Albus? How am I crossing a line, exactly?"

Albus scoffed. "You're encroaching on my territory. The train station belongs to me and I've seen your men hanging around there."

"Albus," Gellert adopted the tone of one who was speaking to a child, "the train station is a common area. You can hardly blame my men for wishing to travel."

"Perhaps not, but I can blame them for the Greater Good showing up there."

"Just like I can blame yours for Fawkes appearing in my streets. Face it, Albus, I'm just retaliating. You made the first move here."

"I took care of that, as you very well know. Severus merely got too eager and Fawkes has been removed from your territory."

"How can I be sure?" Gellert hissed out. "How can I be sure that you aren't lying to me?"

Albus glared at the shadowy figure. "If you don't believe me, you will be expelled from our bed until you do."

"No, I won't." Gellert smirked. "You'd miss me far too much."

"If you wish to find yourself suffocating from the pillow I use to kill you, feel free," Albus replied calmly.

"Now Albus, we said that we wouldn't bring work home with us when we started this."

"This isn't work. This is you not believing me even though you were in the other room when Severus confessed and I know you heard him. We may be criminals, Gellert, but that doesn't mean that we always lie. Now get your men away from my train station."

Gellert held up his hands in surrender and nodded. Albus nodded back and then swept out of the tunnel they had been talking in. "I'll see you at home, Gellert."

"I'll be there once I've taken care of this matter, Albus."


	10. Black Offers

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC (x2); Ethnic and Present  
Representations: Blaise Zabini; Theodore Nott  
Prompts: Blaise Zabini (auction); Memory (365 words); Friends (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 431

* * *

"Blaise?"

Blaise raised a hand to indicate his position on the floor hidden by the bed and Theo soon came into view. He sank down next to Blaise and held out his hand in offering. Blaise let his own fingers trail lightly across Theo's hand and focused on the patterns that were there.

Theo let him trace for a few moments before asking, "You good?"

Blaise shrugged slightly. He was used to the rumours and assumptions due to him being the son of Claudia Zabini. He just hadn't had to deal with someone thinking his mother acting as a black widow meant he would be happy to do the same and offer Galleons for the service.

"He's an idiot, you know," Theo said.

Blaise nodded and shifted closer to Theo. "I know, Theo. Just wasn't expecting him to come right out and ask me to seduce someone and then kill them."

He knew that Adams was an idiot. He also knew that it would never stop. For a moment he wanted to hate his mother. He regretted the feeling instantly; his mother had done her best and she had created her own mission in life. He let out a huff of air as he leaned fully against Theo. Theo folded an arm around Blaise's shoulder.

"I found the ritual for making a pensieve today," Theo said, distracting Blaise from the offer Adams had made. "It was hidden in the back of the restricted section, just lying on the floor like it had been forgotten. Which is rather ironic given that pensieves are used to bring memories to light."

Blaise grinned and pulled Theo's Slytherin scarf into his lap to fiddle with. "It's mainly runes," Theo continued. "Although there are quite a few spells weaved in there that I've never seen before. Apparently the pensieve was around as a simple spell that projected the chosen memory into someone's mind before Salazar Slytherin worked with Rowena Ravenclaw decided to make it more flexible.

"According to the notes, it was Ravenclaw that thought of the bowl shape of the pensieve. She thought it would be easier to share the memories with that shape. It took them ages to get it to work until Gryffindor accidently dropped blood and lemongrass from his training outside onto their array. Hufflepuff was their first test subject to see how easy it was to use."

Blaise hit Theo with the end of his own scarf, and the other chuckled. "Yeah okay, Hufflepuff was the one who hit Gryffindor in their practice bout and made him bleed in the first place."


	11. -3 Perception

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Spring Bingo  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Wyrming the Heart (Y)  
Representations: Dragons  
Prompts: Penelope Clearwater (auction); Metallic (365 words); Dragon collecting dice scenario (Insane Prompts); Bingo - 4E (Yellow)  
Word count: 509

* * *

The clear water rippled as a shape formed under its depths. The forest went silent as the creatures sensed the predator returning to a solid and very dangerous form. The various objects scattering the bottom of lake glittered as the light reflected off the shifting water that was becoming scales. Within a few minutes there was a blue dragon standing in the middle of the stream with water dripping from her scales.

The dragon ignored the water and stepped out of her stream. As soon as her claws hit the dry earth, her form started twisting again, this time into a smaller figure. Soon enough, a human woman stood at the side of the stream with blonde hair and wearing a blue dress. She smiled and started walking; it was time to add to her treasures.

* * *

The shop bell dinged as she opened the door, announcing her presence. It was a much more pleasant ding than the ones made by the bells that had always been rung before to announce her presence. Back then, the bell was a call to arms, and she had had to avoid the missiles human aimed at her when it rang out. Now, she was greeted with a warm smile.

"Back again, are we?" the cashier asked.

"You do have the prettiest treasures," the dragon replied and the cashier's smile widened.

"I have the perfect set to add to your trove of dice," he said as he bent down to fetch something from behind the counter.

The dragon held in a gasp as he stood up and revealed the sparkling blue dice with golden flecks running through them. They looked like her stream in the overcast days with sunbeams shining through patches of cloud that weren't as thick as the rest. They could be a stormy sky from long ago with the magic from her siblings flying next to her and shining yellow in her sight.

"They're beautiful," she breathed.

"I thought you might like them."

The cashier's eyes were fixed on her face and the dragon felt the same hesitation she always did. Dragons were lost to legend now, but with the way this man looked at her, she couldn't help but wonder if he could see the wings that lived in the shadows when she was wearing a human skin. Why else would he stare at her so?

She pushed the thoughts away. "I'll take them."

The dragon pulled out the card that connected to the building that held the treasure she had held for millennia. It was with that treasure that she gained the small dice that looked so beautiful in so many different ways. Gold was just gold, silver merely silver, and they all shone in the same dull, metallic way. The dice she found in this shop were so full of variety and she was more than happy to exchange some boring metals for the wondrous dice.

"I'll see you next week, then Miss Clearwater?" the cashier asked.

She smiled at him and nodded. "You certainly shall, Mr Weasley."


	12. Squid Rafting

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: The Black Lake (auction; Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 514

* * *

"Salazar Slytherin, what do you think you are doing?"

Salazar grinned at her from where he was standing knee deep in the Black Lake. "Why, my dear Helga, I'm summoning a protector for this rather vulnerable entrance to our grand castle. What else would I be doing?"

"It looks as though you're standing in the water waving you wand around with little to no reason," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "In _winter_, might I add."

"Ah, Helga, that's why I have a warming charm on me as I stand here in the freezing water."

"I swear, looking after you is more work than looking after the children."

"And yet you adore both of us," Salazar returned, looking smug. "If you wish for me to get out, you could always help me call this creature to us."

Helga huffed but walked to where Salazar was standing—staying on the ice that had formed and not creating a hole to the water below as Salazar had done. She may be prepared to help Salazar, but in no way, shape, or form was she willing to stand in the chilled water of the lake. She gripped Salazar's shoulder with her right hand and let him transfer the spell knowledge from caster to aide before lifting up her wand and working in tandem with him.

The magic flowed through Salazar and into the water via his legs to spread out in search of a being that could guard the Black Lake from any they wished to prevent entry to. Ripples started forming as the water below was disturbed by something large making its way towards them. The ice farther out started cracking and suddenly a black shape broke through the frozen water.

It was a giant squid, Helga noticed. Then she noticed that her previously safe patch of ice had gathered cracks of its own and was well on its way to breaking into pieces and dropping her into the cold lake. Quickly, she hopped onto Salazar's back and clung to him tightly. She was just in time; as she moved her weight, the ice splintered apart and stopped being a platform she could stand on.

"Having fun, Helga?" Salazar asked.

"Hush," Helga replied, and Salazar did so, turning his attention to the squid that was lazily moving its tentacles through the water.

"Will you agree to protect this place from all malignant invaders?" he asked the squid and received confirmation from the spell that still suffused the air and water. With the acceptance from the squid, Salazar tied off the spell and the Black Lake had a protector.

"You have your guardian," Helga said. "Now get us out of this lake or I will kill you."

Salazar laughed. "But if you kill me, how will you escape the chilly waters I am keeping you safe from?"

"You're big enough to use as a raft," she replied spitefully.

"You would miss me far too much to use me for such a purpose," Salazar said as he started walking back to shore.

"Don't push your luck."


	13. Always Be More

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon (N); Yellow Ribbon Redux (N); Slytherin MC; Ethnic and Present; Forehead Kisses  
Representations: Blaise Zabini; Claudia Zabini  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; White Dress)  
Prompts: Forehead kiss (auction); Mirror (365 words); Siren (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 323

* * *

"Another, Mother? Surely you think enough of this madness has happened by now?"

Blaise's mother smiled at his reflection from where she was brushing her hair in front of her bedroom mirror. "There will always be more men in the world that deserve our attention. If I do not take care of them, who will?"

"The Ministry, hopefully. It's not our job to patrol the evil men of the world."

"The world may have forgotten us, but that does not mean we forget what the world needs. For years we have been calling men with unsightly behaviours to their death, it is our duty to continue doing so."

"And what has this one done?" Blaise asked, sinking on to his mother's bed and watching her apply makeup.

"So far, nothing. He has attempted many things, however and it is only luck that he has not succeeded."

Blaise flopped backwards and sighed. He had had this conversation before many times and it always ended with him conceding to his mother's logic. He still didn't like it, but he also understood. In a few weeks, he would gain his inheritance and be expected to follow the family business. His mother assured him that the Siren blood would aid him.

His mother stood up and moved over to the bed to sit down next to him. "Blaise, darling, I know it's hard for you to deal with the rumours and the many men that walk through these halls. I am sorry for that, but I cannot let these men live in this world unchecked."

"I know, Mother."

Her hand smoothed his hair down and she kissed him on the forehead, rubbing the spot after to remove the slight traces of red lipstick. "I love you, my son."

He smiled up at her and grasped the hand that rested on his forehead. He pulled it closer to him and leaned into his mother. "And I love you."


	14. Teaspoon Graduation

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x3);  
Prompts: Hermione/Neville (auction); Bridge (365 words); Ron Weasley (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 546

* * *

"Hey." The voice is soft, but she still jumps.

Hermione needlessly wipes her dry eyes and looks up at Ron. "Hey," she answers.

"I feel like it's my fault that you're up here not crying," he says. "Plus, Ginny kicked me out of the Tower until I come talk to you."

Hermione laughs and gestures for him to sit. He does so, crossing his legs and sinking down next to the girl he used to hate and now has a crush on. That was the problem, he knew. For a few moments, they simply sit in silence and stare out through the gaps in the bridge that led from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade.

"I'm okay," Hermione says after the silence has stretched too long.

"Are you?" he asks. "You're pulling yourself in three different directions, Hermione. And that's without counting the school work you pile on yourself."

She sniffs, the wetness that had been absent starting to pool in her eyes now that the subject has been brought to light. "It's what expected, isn't it? Me with you or Harry."

Ron shrugs. "People expect a lot of things. Mum expects me to do as well as my brothers—apart from Fred and George of course, she thinks they're throwing their lives away. But that's just another expectation of hers and they're not meeting it. Harry's expected to save the world and he's just a teenager like us. He'll try, but not because it's expected. He'll do it because he can't stand not doing it."

"This isn't about saving the world, Ron."

"Which means the expectations should carry less weight, yeah?"

Hermione thinks about his words and has to agree with the logic in them. "Still…" she trails off, unsure of what her counter argument was.

Ron shifts and puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I know you know I have a crush on you," he starts," but I also know that you don't return it. I don't care. Sure, it would be nice if you did, but I don't care that you don't. I don't _expect_ you to return my feelings just because I have them.

"Hermione, you like Neville, and he likes you from what I can tell. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks you should do? If it makes you happy, I say go for it."

Hermione leans into the warmth of her friend. "Who said you have the emotional range of a teaspoon?" she asks with a laugh.

"You did." Ron grins as he holds his friend tighter. She wasn't for him, he knew that, but she would still be in his life and eventually he'd find someone else to crush on.

"I was wrong," she says.

"Nah, you were right. I've just recently graduated from a teaspoon to a tablespoon."

The fragile atmosphere is broken as they both dissolve into giggles. When Ginny comes out to check that her brother hasn't messed it all up, she finds the two laying on their backs and clutching their bellies as they laugh. She smiles and head back to the tower, now she had to convince Neville it was okay for him to make his feelings for Hermione known. She deviates to the Quidditch Pitch where Harry was practicing, she'd need him.


	15. Chocolate Ruminations

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC (x2)  
Representations: Pansy Parkinson; Theodore Nott; Chocolate  
Bonus Challenges: Teat Juice; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Pansy Parkinson (auction); Delicious (365 words); No Ravenclaws (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 349

* * *

Platinum hair shone from the other side of the room as Pansy watched the owner from the corner of her eye. The boy was smiling softly as he talked to Zabini in a way that he never smiled at her. Not that she expected him to do so, her father and his father had decided that they'd be a good match and that was all there was to it.

A body draped over her and she looked up from her book to see Theodore. She smiled at him and closed the book—holding her place with a thumb. He kissed the side of her head and handed over a bar of Honeydukes chocolate.

"Always handy to have some chocolate nearby now that there's dementors all over the castle grounds," he said in explanation.

Pansy pulled on his hands and he came around the chair back to perch on one of the arms. She snaked an arm around his waist, and he placed one of his over her shoulders. They sat together, watching the two boys across the room. Pansy broke the chocolate bar in half and offered one of them to Theo.

"Share with me?" she asked.

Theo grinned and took the chocolate. "How can I say no to chocolate?"

"You can't."

"True."

From where Draco and Blaise were talking, Pansy heard laughter. She leaned against Theo as she watched the two make their way to the chess board in the corner where they played nightly games. She wondered if she and Draco would have nightly routines if their fathers got their way. Or maybe the two of them would face the stereotype of unhappy arranged marriages.

Theo nudged her. "You good?"

"Yeah. Probably just the dementors bringing up bad memories and insecurities."

"Eat your chocolate, it'll make you feel better."

Pansy did as she was told. As she bit the delicious sweet treat, she thought that maybe it wasn't so much the chocolate that made her feel better, but the boy who had given it to her and was even now wrapping her up in a sideways hug.


	16. In Search of a Lord

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC (x2)  
Prompts: Rabastan Lestrange (auction); Powerful (365 Words); Siblings (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 305  
Warning: Allusion to future torture

* * *

The Dark Lord was gone and Rabastan didn't know what happened next. His Lord hadn't given any directions should he not make it out of the fight with the boy destined to defeat him and he hadn't thought to ask for any. Besides the fact that his Lord wasn't the kindest to those who asked unnecessary questions, Rabastan had believed the boy and his parents to be no threat to his Lord.

The wizarding world was saying that his Lord had been vanquished by a child. That a child had somehow managed to kill the most powerful Dark wizard in decades was ridiculous and yet there was no evidence suggesting that it was false information. Except…maybe there was someone who would know more. Someone who was just as involved in this mess as the Potter's had been.

He stood up just as Rodolphus entered the room. "Where are you going?" his brother asked.

"To find out what happened to our Lord," Rabastan replied. "You're coming too."

Rodolphus snorts and waves the brandy glass currently half-full of alcohol. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit drunk. Besides, how are you planning on tracking down the Dark Lord when the Ministry can't?"

"The Ministry isn't trying to find him. They're happy believing he's gone and their ridiculous excuse for a government is safe."

Rabastan slid his wand out of its holster and waved in Rodolphus' direction. The sobering spell aimed directly for his brother and swerved to catch him as he tried to dodge it. Rodolphus gave a quiet sigh as the alcohol buzz vanished from his system.

"I'll get Bella and Barty," he said. "They'll want to be involved in this. Where are we going?"

"There were two possibilities, right? So let's go to the other one. It's time to pay the Longbottom's a visit."


	17. Photographs

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; Snicket Fence; Spring Bingo; T3  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon (Y); Yellow Ribbon Redux; Neurodivergent; Tiny Terror (Y); Quiet Time; Forehead Kisses; Gryffindor MC  
Representations: Lily Potter; Harry Potter; Autistic Harry  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Rediscovery; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Tether  
Prompts: Family (auction); Photograph (365 Words; Insane Prompts); Bingo - 5D (Fire)  
Word count: 484

* * *

Harry curled up next to his mother on the large couch that sat across from the fireplace. The fire was dying down, glowing embers the only thing left there. His mother was staring at the firelight and Harry thought it looked as though she wasn't seeing it. A red book lay open on her lap and as Harry rested against his mother, he looked down at it curiously.

It was a photo album, he realised. The pictures weren't moving and he poked them lightly, seeing if they would start animating upon touch. They remained still and Harry turned his attention to the images themselves. They were mostly of two girls in various situations. He recognised one of the girls as his mother but didn't know the other one.

Lily and the other girl were baking in one picture, frozen in time as they grinned and placed biscuit dough on a ready tray. Next to that, they were playing in a park with Lily on the swing and the other girl mid-way down the slide. Then they were at a beach and standing proudly on either side of a sandcastle decorated with shells and seaweed. The last photograph on the page was of the two of them posing in the air as they bounced on a trampoline.

"Who is she?" Harry asked softly.

"Hmm?" Lily replied as she brought herself back to the present. "Oh, her. That's my sister, Petunia."

Harry frowned. "You have a sister?"

Lily pulled Harry closer to her and traced a finger around the photos sitting on the pages in front of her. "I do. We had a falling out long ago and haven't seen each other since I graduated Hogwarts. I think about trying to get in touch with her again, but it never happens."

"Why not?"

"The last time, I invited her to my wedding with James and she sent back such a rude and derogatory letter that I just haven't been able to bring myself to go through that again. I love her, but there is no changing a person who does not want to be changed. I don't want her around you while she still hates magic."

"Why does she hate magic?" Harry asked. "Magic is awesome! Sirius made my toy bike just like his and Remus is a _werewolf_, Mum. It's so cool!"

Lily sighed and brushed Harry's fringe away from his forehead before placing a kiss there. "She blames it for taking away her sister, I suppose."

"You don't blame magic for taking Dad away," Harry pointed out.

"No, but I am not the same person as my sister. People are strange, Harry."

Harry grumbled as he cuddled up closer to his mother. People _were_ strange and they kept getting stranger every day. Just when he thought he finally understood them, he would learn something new and have to figure _that_ thing out as well.


	18. Quiet Love

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Newlyweds (auction); Afternoon (365 words); Elysian (Insane Prompts); Write a fic set in the medieval era (Games Development; Task 4)  
Word count: 611  
Note: I now possess the knowledge that in medieval times, the only requirement for people to get married was their consent. If they consented to be married, they were married. Simple as that.

* * *

The scratching of quills was the only sound heard in the small study. Two people sat opposite each other as they worked on their own parchment, occasionally sliding it over to the other person for checking. A fire crackled nearby and a basilisk the size of a broomstick lay stretched out in front of the flames.

Up above, there were children running amok and loudly chattering to each other. In the study, it was quiet, none of the sounds from above penetrating the thick stone and deafening charms. Aiding the fire in lighting the room, several candles stood in sconces on the wall and on the ends of the desk in the middle.

A quill was placed down, and parchment blown on. Helga smiled at Salazar when he looked up and placed her parchment in the stack to be bound together when she finished writing the guide of potion ingredients. Aurora rose up slightly from her cushion by the fireplace to check if Helga needed her and settled back when Helga shook her head.

Helga moved around the desk and placed her hands on Salazar's shoulders, massaging the tension that had gathered as Salazar hunched over bits of parchment. With a sigh of relief, Salazar leaned back in the chair and into Helga's hands, placing his own quill down. Helga kneaded his shoulders for a few more moments before stepping back and offering her hand to her friend and now-husband.

Gesturing to Aurora to let her know she could remain by the warmth of the fire, Salazar accepted the hand and gladly followed Helga's silent directions. The both of them had been hunched over their work for several candlemarks and Helga had decided it was time to take a break. She pressed the small rune that brought a door into existence and they stepped out of the Chamber of Secrets—as it had been affectionately dubbed by the children that were banned from entering—to the hidden courtyard adjacent to the stone walls of Hogwarts Castle.

The courtyard was full of useful plants—most of them now documented on Helga's parchments. There were a few purely decorative plants dotted around, though they were only decorative until Helga or Salazar discovered a useful property they held. The two were not currently interested in testing plants however, they merely strolled around the courtyard and enjoyed the scenery and company.

They had done this many times before. Only a few days ago, they had shared their consent to be married to each other in the courtyard they now walked in—Rowena and Godric witnessing because they were nosy and happy for their friends. Nothing had changed all that much since then, and they hadn't expected it to. The only reason they had married semi-publicly was for Rowena and Godric.

At the other end of the courtyard sat the long bench that gave a view of the forest and the lake from its position. They sat together in the same silence they had walked—Helga leaning on Salazar slightly and him running his fingers through the unbound strands of her hair. The afternoon sun was shining over the lake and reflected a myriad of colours onto the surface of the water. Thestrals moved about on the border of the forest, seeking affection from Rowena as she paced back and forth (likely muttering theories to herself as she moved).

The quiet and calm was their definition of elysian. Here, in the courtyard partially hidden by vines and trees, they could sit in peace and be removed from the world while still observing it. With the other at their side, there was nowhere else they'd rather be.


	19. Rooftop Crafts

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; Shipping War; BAON; FPC; Snicket Fence  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; SHIELD MC (x3);  
Representations: Phil Coulson; Clint Barton; Natasha Romanoff  
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Machismo (crafting); Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Singing (auction); Glitter (365 Words); No characters under 21 (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 661  
Fandom: Marvel

* * *

There was a sharp rap on the door to her quarters and Natasha lifted her head up from the pillow curiously. There were very few people who would dare knock on the Black Widow's quarters and as far as she knew there was no reason for those few people to be wanting her. She shifted off the bed and padded over to the door.

Clint grinned at her from the other side. "Hey, Tasha."

Nat felt something warm in her chest at the nickname, Clint was the only one who called her by one. "Clint," she returned.

"I come bearing an invitation to the rooftop. You can't stay cooped up in here alone all the time."

Confusion, hope, and a little bit of giddiness welled up inside her. She glanced back into her bare room; there was nothing personal in there, nothing to suggest it was _her_ space. It was just a place to sleep and yet it was also her primary location while not on mission.

Clint backed up and swept his arm out to the corridor to encourage her outside. She nodded and gave him a small smile before grabbing her jacket from the end of the bed and let Clint guide her up to the roof. As they walked along the corridor, agents stepped out of their way and stared at Natasha with fear and suspicion—this was why she avoided leaving her room.

She hesitated at the door to the roof for a moment, still not knowing what was waiting for her beyond it. Clint winked and kicked the door open before backing his way out of it and spinning around once he was out. Nat followed and was greeted by the sight of a long outdoors couch where Agent Coulson sat with a ball of red wool next to him and knitting needles clicking together.

He looked up and smiled when he saw Natasha. "Welcome to the roof, Romanoff."

"Thank you, sir," Nat said, feeling even more lost as to why Clint and Agent Coulson had invited her up and why Agent Coulson was knitting.

"We have a rule up here that first names are to be used, but if you don't feel comfortable with that, we can bend it for you."

Clint sat down next to Agent Coulson, leaning into the other man slightly, and picked up a ball of purple wool with glitter shining through it and a crochet hook attached. "This isn't anything to do with SHIELD," he said. "It's just for us, for when we need time out from the beehive below us. We have wool for you, too, if you want some."

Natasha nodded and sank down on Agent Coulson's other side and caught the ball of green wool Clint chucked at her. "First names are acceptable, Phil," she said.

Phil smiled and nodded. "I'm glad. Need help to get started or are you good?"

"I may need some help," she admitted.

Yarn and how to work it was not something the Red Room taught her. Phil didn't make fun and nor did Clint. They merely checked which method she wanted to use and then Phil started talking her through the movements of knitting as Clint sat back and continued creating small knots in the glittering purple yarn with his hook.

As Natasha looped the yarn over the needle and created a new stitch, he started humming. She looked over at him and he grinned back at her. The two men sitting on the couch with her were far more relaxed than they normally acted. As Natasha started on her third row, the humming was interspersed with verses from various songs. She relaxed as her hands went through the movements that became natural to her and listened to Clint sing and Phil hum along. The rooftop was a lot nicer than the bare room she had been spending all of her time in; the company made it all the more pleasant.


	20. Snipping Smiles

**MC4A; Hogwarts**

Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Tiny Terror  
Representations: Neville Longbottom; Augusta Longbottom  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; White Dress)  
Prompts: Imaginary Friend (auction); Healthy (365 words); Grandparent&Grandchild (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 320

* * *

Neville was chattering away in the garden as he went from plant to plant. A house elf followed behind, making sure that he hadn't harmed the plant as he enthusiastically tended to it. Augusta sat on a rocking chair on the back veranda and sipped her tea as she watched her grandson. The boy was mostly happy and now only had small bouts of distress when he remembered why he was living with his grandmother as opposed to his parents.

The child held up a dead leaf of the plant he was tending to and pointed to it as he explained everything he knew about dead plants and why they happened and how to help them. Augusta knew that Neville was talking to thin air, but she didn't mind. Neville was bound to need something to help him process his parents lying in Saint Mungo's and if an imaginary friend was what did that, then Augusta would allow Neville to continue talking to them.

With careful fingers and an ever-watchful house elf standing by, Neville snipped off the dead part of the plant with his small shears and moved on to the next one. The next plant was entirely healthy, so all Neville had to do was give it some water—something he did happily.

Augusta checked the time and then called out to the boy. It was almost time for lunch, and he would have to get cleaned up before eating. With a grin, Neville gave the house elf the watering can and then ran over to her. Waving to the friend only he could see, he allowed Augusta to guide him into the house.

Once they were inside and the garden shut off from view, Neville raced up to his room to get cleaned up. Augusta smiled after him. Yes, she definitely approved of anything that could bring a smile to her grandson's face, even an imaginary friend.


	21. How You Are You?

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Houses; Snicket Fence; BAON; FPC; T3  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon (Y); Yellow Ribbon Redux; Hufflepuff MC; Neurodivergent; Quiet Time  
Representations: Nymphadora Tonks; Ted Tonks; Confused Tonks; Autistic Tonks  
Bonus Challenges: Second Verse (Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi); Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse  
Prompts: Metamorphmagus (auction); Tonks family (Insane Prompts); Nymphadora Tonks (Houses)  
House: Hufflepuff  
Year: 2 (Stand-in)  
Category: Drabble  
Word count: 423

* * *

"_Who are you?"_

It was such a simple question, asked by a snobby pureblood who looked down his nose at her as she trailed behind her mother in the bustling Diagon Alley, and yet it had sent teenaged Nymphadora Tonks into a spiral of confusion and more questions. Who was she? She was the daughter of Andromeda and Ted Tonks, a witch, a Hufflepuff, a Metamorphmagus who favoured brightly coloured hair over the more boring mousy brown it reverted to when she was upset.

Those were all facts about her, but they weren't _her_. They weren't what made Nymphadora Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks and no one else. With a frown on her face, Nymphadora hopped off her bed, closed the door, and then stood in front of her floor length mirror. She looked at herself for a few moments before pulling off the top and trousers she was wearing and examining her body again.

As she prodded her skin in various places, she also changed it. She made her skin darker and lighter, her eyes went from oval to round and all the shapes in between, her breasts grew larger and flattened out until they were non-existent, her hair lengthened and shortened while flashing through different colours.

Nymphadora Tonks was no simple person. She could be anyone she wanted to be. The only problem was that she wanted to be herself and no longer knew who that was. What body shape had she been originally given? What height, skin tone, facial features were the ones that she had been born with?

There was no way to be sure. Even if she copied her parents and became the perfect blend of the both of them, she could be wrong. What if she had actually been born with her mother's nose instead of her father's? Had she unintentionally removed freckles from her skin at one point or any other aesthetics gained through living? She couldn't know, no matter how much she wished she could. The information was lost. Even images were no help for how could she believe what she saw there was the unvarnished truth?

With a sigh, Nymphadora pulled on her pyjamas and went out to the kitchen where she would be able to find hot chocolate and her father. They would curl up on the couch together with the drink and Ted would tell stories about work and his early years while Nymphadora curled up into his side, enjoying the time spent with her dad while pushing her spiralling thoughts to the side.


	22. Practicing with Beige

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Houses; Snicket Fence; FPC; SS; T3  
Individual Challenges: Short Jog (Y); Yellow Ribbon (Y); Yellow Ribbon Redux; Neurodivergent; Quiet Time  
Representations: Madam Malkin; Autistic Madam Malkin  
Bonus Challenges: Bee Haven; Second Verse (Wabi Sabi); Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Topaz (auction); Glide (365 words); No male characters (Insane Prompts); Navy (Houses)  
House: Hufflepuff  
Year: 2 (Stand-in)  
Category: Standard  
Word count: 1,061

* * *

Madam Malkin bustled around her shop as she prepared the space for the new bolts of fabric she was expecting to be delivered any moment. She was planning on creating a two-toned robe with the colours she had picked out and was excited to start. A cubby hole was cleared for the bolts, the runes on her sewing machines were charged, and her desk ready was ready for measuring and cutting out the fabric she would need.

There was a knock at her back door and Meredith hurried to answer it—eager to get her hands on the new fabric, her fingers itching to start work. Ruth grinned at her when she answered and hefted up the wrapped bolts in a gesture.

"Morning, Meredith. I've got some fabric here for you. New project?"

Meredith nodded and accepted the quill that was nudging her hand to sign the hovering parchment. "If it works, you'll see it in the shop next month."

"I'll keep an eye out for it."

The package of fabric was handed over and Meredith placed it down inside the door before settling in for a quick check-in on Ruth's family and the latest Diagon Alley gossip. Lyall from Slugs and Jitters was having trouble with his newest assistant. Doug had been expressing interest in a girl who often went into Flourish and Blotts, and Hope over at Quality Quidditch Supplies had been offered a full traineeship in the broom industry.

When Ruth had set off down the back lane, Meredith closed the door and took her bounty over to the desk. Inside should be two beautiful lengths of navy and topaz fabric that she would transform into an equally beautiful formal robe. Sure applications of the cutting charm split open the package and the fabric was revealed to the world.

The navy colour was the first she saw. It was lying on top of the topaz and she smiled when she saw it. Beautiful darkly toned blue that could both subdue and uplift an outfit. With the shining orange-yellow of the topaz, it would make a stunning robe that she hoped would be worn by many a patron of her store.

She reverently lifted up the fabric and placed it on the desk for measuring and cutting later. When she turned her attention back to the package, she frowned. There was a beige fabric sitting there. Confused, Meredith ran her hands over it, wondering if perhaps it was the type to have two sides. There was no ripple of threads as fabric changed from beige to orange-yellow, nor was there any variation to the colour on the opposite side of the fabric.

She had been given beige. While beige would work with the navy, it would not have the same popping effect that she had been aiming for. Instead, her robe would merely be like any other. Nice, but not spectacular. A quick wave of her wand had the fabric catalogue flying to her hands and she flicked through until she reached the page she had marked for ordering.

There on the page under topaz was the gorgeous colour she had been expecting. On the next page was a swatch of the fabric she had actually received. It too was called topaz. Confusion building, Meredith finally saw what she hadn't when she had ordered the fabric. The colour she had desired was listed under jewel tones and was true to the stones that shared the name. The beige she received was the official colour of topaz, which was nothing like the stone.

She huffed and threw the catalogue away, letting it fall to the ground and land in a heap without caring. She sank slowly down onto her chair and let her fingers glide over the fabrics she had received. It was through no fault but her own that she now possessed a beige fabric where she wanted the burning colour of topaz stones. She glanced at the crumbled heap that was the catalogue; she could order another bolt, she knew. There was no reason that she couldn't postpone her navy and topaz robes until she had the true colour she desired. Her fingers twitched and she glared at them half-heartedly. She _knew_, they didn't have to remind her.

With a silent sigh, she rolled out the lovely navy that was exactly what she had wanted and retrieved the pattern she'd drawn up. Each piece was then placed just so on the fabric to make it follow the rules of dressmaking and ensure the most efficient use of fabric. Then, she cast a low-powered sticking charm and started cutting out the individual parts of the robe.

As each part was cut out, it was folded and placed in the small basket next to her. They would stay there until she needed them, the wrinkle-free enchantments on the basket and fabric there to ensure she didn't need to press them out and make them smooth later. When she had all of the navy fabric parts she needed, she hesitated.

Glancing between the catalogue and the bolt of beige topaz fabric, she eventually sighed and gave into the twitching of her fingers and the insistent voice in her mind. She needed to work on this project today, it had been set aside for just this reason and she couldn't change that now. Even as she mourned over the loss of orange-yellow topaz, she rolled out the beige topaz fabric and started the process of placing and cutting out the pattern once again.

When it had all been cut and folded into a separate basket to the navy, she picked up the catalogue again and selected both an order slip and a self-inking quill from her desk. Then she quickly penned an order for topaz jewel toned fabric and another lot of the navy to be delivered on the double. She would create a robe with the colours she possessed as a trial run.

When the _real_ topaz arrived, she would start on the final product. She was feeling a bit better at the mix-up now; it gave her a chance to practice and that was something that never went awry. Ensuring that the pattern worked well with the fabrics she had now meant that she could do the gorgeous navy and topaz fabrics justice when they arrived in the next few days.


	23. Ambassadorial Guard

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Death's Inevitable Master  
Prompts: Star Trek (auction; Insane Prompts); Rust (365 words)  
Word count: 664  
Fandom: Star Trek and Harry Potter

* * *

Jim let out a small pained noise as he ran his hands over his face and jaw. The punch he had received last night at a bar fight had caused some bruising and he was currently unable to move his mouth without feeling a sharp stab of pain. He was sitting in the old shipyard that had been decommissioned a few years ago and was now just a fenced-in area of piles of metal gathering rust. It was a place not many people went and he had never seen another soul in the times he had visited.

A crunching of boots on red dirt made him look up and he saw a slight man with black hair and wearing a black ambassadorial robe with purple threads running around and through it. He stared at the man uncomprehendingly for a few moments, wondering if perhaps the punch had damaged more than just his jaw.

The man nodded at him greeting. "Quite a nice bruise you have there," he said.

"Yeah well, that's what happens when someone decides they want to take offense to something you said."

"You held your own impressively, however."

Jim frowned. "You were in the bar?"

"I was."

Now that was strange. Jim had been in a rather shady bar last night and had certainly seen no evidence of any ambassador. Besides which, he didn't think the bar would've had as many patrons as it did last night if there was an ambassador present. The people that frequented it would have been too jumpy to be in the presence of a figure of authority and the mood would have been subdued at the very least.

"I don't recall seeing you," he said, attempting to get more information.

The ambassador shrugged and sat down uninvited next to Jim on the old ship hull. "I was working."

"Without the uniform?" Jim queried.

"Different uniform," the ambassador replied.

Right. Because that made the whole thing clearer. "Why are you here?"

"I saw you in the bar, fighting with that spark of life burning so fiercely inside of you. It caught my attention, though I doubt you meant to do so. Not many people desire my attention."

"And what's so special about your attention, Ambassador?"

The ambassador grinned. "I guide you into all of the most interesting battles. The ones who want to live are the most determined to do something with their living. With me guiding them, they get to be a protector and keep those with a lesser will safe from the same situation."

"What kind of an ambassador are you?" Jim asked. The sort of things he was saying did not sound like something a normal ambassador would be able to do.

"Death," the ambassador said solemnly. "I am the ambassador of Death and I guard the lives of those who do not belong in my realm just yet."

Without a sound, the man vanished from the hull and Jim was left alone in the shipyard. He groaned and placed his head in hands, wincing almost instantly as he remembered the bruised jaw he had been cradling. Only, there wasn't any pain. He sat up again and started feeling his face, stretching and manipulating the skin and not once feeling any pain. The bruising was gone. He groaned again and this time fell back onto the ship hull and looking up at the sky above him. Unintentionally, he had garnered the attention of an entity that had magical powers and spoke for Death.

As he became Captain of the Enterprise and managed to somehow scrape his way out of the situations they found themselves in, he found himself both cursing and thanking the Ambassador of Death. These events would have still happened if he hadn't been there and the Ambassador hadn't decided he liked Jim, but because that had happened, Jim was able to be first in line for the event and prevent other, less lucky and divinely-guarded, crews from taking the hit.


	24. Back to Loops

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Hunter MC  
Prompts: "How could you let this happen?" (auction); Brother (365 words); Grief (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 355  
Fandom: Supernatural

* * *

"Stupid," he told himself as he dumped his bag on one of the beds in the motel room. "Stupid. How could you let this happen? You were supposed to protect him, find a way out of this. What did you do instead? Kept mucking it up, is what you did. And now Dean's dead and he's not coming back this time."

It was Wednesday. Sam didn't know Wednesday; he hadn't _had_ a Wednesday for over a hundred days. He had thought that once Tuesday was over, Dean would be safe, and he wouldn't have to watch his brother die every day. Instead, Cal had shot his brother in the car park outside their motel room just as they had been about to leave this nightmare town behind.

The Trickster had been killing Dean every day in the guise of trying to teach Sam that he couldn't save his brother. Only yesterday had The Trickster let them out of the loop of death and now Sam almost wished he was still in it. If he was, at least Dean would be back. That thought stopped him in his tracks.

The laptop he had pulled out of his bag was placed on the bed as his mind started racing. What if he could be back in the time loop? What if it was possible for The Trickster to put him and Dean in the loop again and bring Dean back? Clearly, The Trickster had some power over life and death as he had killed Dean plenty of times and he had always returned the next Tuesday.

Sam grabbed his wallet and headed out of the new motel room. It wasn't the same one he had stayed in with Dean; there was no way he could have handled staying in the same room for another day. With determination in every movement, Sam made his way to the diner to see if The Trickster was there having the same pancakes and syrup he'd had every Tuesday morning. If he wasn't there, then Sam would have to track him down and he wouldn't stop until he had his brother back.


	25. Hulking Instincts

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; T3  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; SHIELD MC (x2); Metahuman MC  
Representations: Bruce Banner; Natasha Romanoff; Avengers all living in the tower  
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Terrarium  
Prompts: Bruce Banner (auction); Veil (365 words); You've Got a Friend in Me (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 372  
Fandom: Marvel

* * *

Candlelight flickered in the darkened room. The smell of lavender filled the air and the only sound was that of calm breathing. Bruce sat in the middle with his legs crossed and his wrists lightly resting on his knees. There was a quiet knock at the door, and he cracked open an eye to see Natasha entering with a steaming cup of green tea.

He smiled gratefully at her, expecting her to leave as she normally did. She sank down in front of him instead. He didn't know why she had started bringing him tea when he meditated but he was thankful that she had. The warmth of the tea was sometimes more soothing than the meditation and scent of lavender essential oil. The greater the veil of calm he put over the anger always bubbling away in him was, the better.

"There was a time I thought I could never wash out the red in my ledger," Natasha said after a few moments of silence.

Bruce said nothing. He knew some of Natasha's feelings about her previous life before SHIELD from her interrogation of Loki and snippets of conversation heard around the tower. He wasn't sure why she was bringing it up now.

"I thought I could only add to it and I made my peace with that. Then Clint decided to save me instead of killing me. But being in SHIELD does not remove the habits and instincts that have been ingrained in me for the entirety of my life."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bruce asked softly.

Natasha smiled wryly at him. "We all have demons. Yours, mine, and even Clint's? Ours are a bit more lethal when they're allowed out." She stood up gracefully and went to the door. Before stepping out, she said, "Hulk may be big and green, but that doesn't make him any more or less scary than my knife skills operating of their own accord."

The door clicked shut quietly as she slipped out. Bruce looked after her, mind whirring as it processed her words. Eventually, he picked up the cup of green tea and sipped at it before returning to his meditation, the conversation still stewing in the back of his mind.


	26. Hypnotising Bells

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; T3; SN  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell (Y)  
Representations: Manfred Bloor; Holly (OC); Controlled Manfred  
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Ameliorate  
Prompts: I Can Hear the Bells - Hairspray (auction); Hypnotic (365 words); Coffee Shop (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 623  
Fandom: Charlie Bone  
Note: Manfred is probably OoC, I haven't read Charlie Bone in ages.

* * *

A small tinkle of bells sounded as Holly pushed open the door to the café and let a couple walk out as they giggled with each other. She smiled after them before pressing into the small building and collapsing into the chair that had been reserved for her. Manfred didn't look up from his book and Holly didn't expect him to.

Instead, she lifted the cup of peppermint mocha that was sitting in front of her and sipped it. There was a blueberry muffin also waiting for her and she started eating that as she waited for Manfred to reach the end of either the paragraph or the chapter he was reading. As she waited, she gazed around the small café.

Every so often, she would see a combination of people and hear the chiming of bells. There were three girls all laughing happily who gave out loud gongs similar to church bells. A girl and a boy leaning against each other sounded like the bells often used for Santa's sleigh in media. Another trio of mixed gender had her hearing small chimes that overlaid each other in perfect harmony.

Manfred sighed as he placed down his book and picked up his cup of tea. His coal-black eyes bore into her and she smiled at her friend. There was no hypnotic haze over her mind as she met his gaze, Manfred had never used his endowment on her, and she had promised to never tell him if her own acted up around him.

"Okay?" Manfred asked finally.

Holly shrugged. "Still get the headaches, but not as much as before. If I go out during the quieter periods, I can manage a lot better."

"You can come back to Bloor's if you want to, I can tell my father to let you back in."

"I'll be fine, Manfred." Holly smiled as she shook her head. Her friend was not the nicest person, but he always tried to look after her and Bloor's was where she had gained as much control as she had.

All of the endowed children went to Bloor's Academy, and Holly had been no different. Once her aunt had realised that the bells Holly kept telling her about meant something, she had sent Holly to Bloor's for the rest of her school years. Manfred had come into her life later, though she had seen him around the school.

He had the ability to hypnotise people who looked in his eyes and outwardly he had no compunctions about using it for even the smallest of things. Holly had found him curled up on the school's roof one day, staring blankly out at the sky and had sat down next to him, too tired and a pounding headache making her not care that the feared Manfred Bloor was sitting at her spot.

They had sat together for a few hours, not speaking that first time. Then it had happened again, and then again, and eventually they started talking. Ever since then, they had looked out for each other. Manfred still lived at Bloor's, but Holly had left the school a year ago. The café was where they met on the weekends now that they didn't see each other during the week.

"All good your end?"

Manfred grimaced and Holly pushed the raspberry and white chocolate muffin that was sitting on the table closer to him. He picked at it as he gathered his thoughts. Holly braced herself to hear what her friend had been forced into this time. Manfred picking at his favourite food meant it had been a bad week. But just as he was there for her during her bad weeks, she was there for him and nothing would change that.


	27. Keep Us Together, Tear Us Apart

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; SF; FPC; SN  
Individual Challenges: Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; The 3rd Rule  
Representations: Helga Hufflepuff; Rowena Ravenclaw; Salazar Slytherin; Abuse  
Bonus Challenges: Bee Haven; Chorus (Not a Lamp; Persistence Still)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Rail; Ameliorate  
Prompts: Love will keep us together (auction); Heart (365 words); Sofa (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 1,167  
Warning: Abusive relationship

* * *

The library was quiet—as libraries tended to be—and Helga trailed her fingers over the spines of the books as she walked down the row. The cart of books was rolling along on the carpet easily in front of her and she was currently aiming to the next position the books on it demanded she go. With a quiet squeak of wheels, the cart came to a halt and Helga grabbed the two books that belonged on the shelf she had stopped at.

She smiled as she saw the designs for historical battle machines depicted on the cover. Catapults and siege towers, always interesting. She slid the book into place along with its companion and continued onwards, pushing the cart in front of her as she double-checked her next stop.

"Excuse me," a voice said.

Helga turned around and smiled at the man. "What can I help you with?"

"I was looking for a book about siege machines and the computer told me to come here. Only, I couldn't find it."

"That would be because it wasn't there before," Helga said with small laugh. She pointed to where she had placed the two books. "They're right there, sir."

"Thanks," The man said as he turned his attention to the books.

Helga hummed in acknowledgement and set off again. She could hear the flipping of pages as the man flicked through the books she had pointed out. He seemed to be the type that would lose themselves in a book and forget that the outside world existed. Helga was also that type, it made working in a library both immensely difficult and extraordinarily enjoyable.

When all of the books were away on their shelves, Helga returned to the front desk and left the trolley in the small cubby underneath the desk. She smiled as a girl came bounding up to her clutching two books tightly in her small hands. She thrust the books at Helga when she reached the desk and grinned, her guardian arriving soon after.

Helga took the books gladly and scanned the library card that was sitting atop them before scanning the books themselves. Ninjas and magical dimensions, this girl had taste. She said this to the girl—Amelia—and she beamed with pride. As she and her guardian walked out of the library, Helga could hear Amelia telling her guardian that a _librarian_ thought her books choices were good. It was, apparently, awesome.

A tower of seven thick books entered her vision and she recognised the man who had asked her for help locating the books about siege machines. She readied her scanner as he fished around his pockets, finally locating his library card and handing it over.

"Research project or curiosity?" she asked lightly.

The man shrugged. "A bit of both, I suppose. I'm trying to locate a lost castle somewhere in Scotland and this will hopefully help me do that."

"Scotland's a big place, are you planning on digging up dirt in every town and field?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, thank goodness. I have a pretty good idea of where to look now. I just need a bit more details on how a building would have been destroyed or hidden by age and war."

"Well hopefully these help."

"That would be nice."

He took the books from Helga, fingers brushing against hers as he adjusted his grip on them. She waved at him as he left, silently wishing him well on his attempt to find a lost castle. She heard high heels tapping on the vinyl behind her and arms wrapped around her waist.

"Having fun, Helga?"

Helga held in a sigh. "It was accidental, Rowena."

"Perhaps for you, but that doesn't mean he wasn't interested you. Just remember, Helga, he would leave you as soon as you lose your sweet smile and angelic face. He won't even say goodbye, he'll leave in a minute flat. You are mine, and we shall not be split apart."

* * *

Helga curled up on the couch and cupped the warm mug of tea in her hands. She watched Rowena carefully, trying to judge how her news would be received. Rowena seemed calm and happy; hopefully she would remain calm and happy when Helga spoke.

"I've been invited to Scotland by Salazar to help find his missing castle."

Rowena stilled and Helga had to fight back the urge to retract her statement. "And are you planning on going?" Rowena asked coldly.

"I thought I might. I do have some knowledge on the subject of archaeology and I've become rather invested in the project."

"You told me your friendship with Salazar would have no further impact on our lives and now you say you wish to go off to Scotland with him."

Helga sunk into the couch. "I used to go out on digs all the time, Rowena."

"And you stopped. You stopped so that we could live our lives together and now you're going again with a man who has expressed interest in you."

"We're friends, Rowena. I used to be an archaeologist and now I'm a librarian. I've left my career for you and while I enjoy working at the library, it isn't my passion. I was a damn good archaeologist and that's where my heart lies."

"Your heart? You heart belongs to _me _and now you want to give this life up for a fleeting moment of digging up dirt again?" Rowena was angry now and Helga felt her own anger rising.

She carefully placed her cup on the table nearby and stood up. "My whole life has been about digging up the past, it is what I have tried to do and while I can learn more from books in a library, it is far more my style to go out in the field. I shall no longer let you stop me from doing so."

"Fine," Rowena said, turning her attention back to the book she had been reading. Dismissing Helga. "Don't come crawling back to me when he leaves you alone on the side of the road."

Helga huffed and went into their bedroom to start packing. All of her clothes were quickly thrown into the case along with other essential items she would need and couldn't leave behind. She knew she wouldn't return, not for a long time at least. She carried it out to the front door and hesitated before she left.

Rowena said and did nothing. In silence, Helga opened the door and walked out. The dull thud was more final than it had ever been before. Behind her was a life of quiet nights and books, with assurances that she would never, ever be alone—so long as Helga lived the life Rowena wanted.

With a sigh, Helga struck out along the corridor, dragging her suitcase of essentials and leaving a life behind her. She was heading for a better one, hopefully. One full of mysteries to be solved and lost things to be found.


	28. Sandwich Woes

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Sandwich (auction); No character names (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 381

* * *

The sandwich sat on the bench, waiting to be eaten. It had been made earlier in the day, and subsequently abandoned when the maker had rushed out of the house. The bread was soggy from tomato and cucumber slices. A knife sat next to it, ready to cut the bread and fillings in half. It looked as though someone had merely walked away for a moment instead of abandoned everything and flown out of the house like a hurricane.

The front door opened and a man came trudging into the kitchen with his shoulders slumped. He collapsed onto one of the kitchen chairs and groaned, slinking down until the chair back rested at his neck and halted his movement. The sandwich remained where it was, slowly drying out as it sat uneaten.

There was silence in the room for several long minutes before the man spoke. "Why?" he asked the air (and, in a way, the sandwich, seeing as it was there). "Why betray them? We thought…"

His words trailed off and it was silent in the room once more. Slowly, the man sat back up and then placed his head in his hands, balancing his elbows on his knees. His shoulders started shaking slightly as sobs were finally let loose.

They were quiet sobs; the crying of one who had often suppressed the noise to avoid drawing attention to themselves. The sandwich did nothing as the man sobbed. The cucumber was now almost completely dried out. With a great sigh, the man rubbed his eyes and sat up, straightening his shoulders.

His eyes landed on the uneaten sandwich and another sigh escaped him—though this one held less heart-broken emotion laced through it. If sandwiches could perk up, the one sitting on the bench would have as the man approached it. Was it finally going to be eaten?

The answer was no, it soon found out as it was allowed to fall into the rubbish bin. The bread fell apart and the fillings fell out the neat piles they had been stacked in. The individual parts of what had once been a sandwich lay atop the rest of the rubbish mournfully, never fulfilling their purpose of being nourishment in the form of fillings wedged in between two pieces of bread.


	29. Shopping Connections

**Challenge Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; SF; SN  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Bow Before the Blacks  
Representations: Sirius Black; Lily Potter; Squib Sirius; Bringing Sirius back to the (good) family  
Bonus Challenges: Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Negate  
Prompts: Squib AU (auction); Attractive (365 words); Excited (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 589

* * *

Sirius Black of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black scanned items that customers handed him and wished them a good day as he worked as a cashier in one of the smaller grocery store chains. It had taken him a while to get used to all the technology in the store, but he had gotten quite good at using it in the last few years. It helped that there was no magic to make it go wonky.

That was the whole reason he was working in the store in the first place. No magic, no home. It was the way of the Black Family. He had stayed with his Great-Aunt Dorea's family for a bit before feeling too much like a freeloader and moving out to struggle through life on his own.

He hadn't told James—Dorea's son—despite the fact the two of them had become good friends during his stay. The other boy had been at Hogwarts and it wasn't something he wanted to say in a letter. He also hadn't wanted to postpone his departure, so he had just left. He was in the Muggle world now, where he belonged, he would never see James again.

He smiled at the red-head who had just plonked her basket of groceries down at his station. She smiled back at him and started unloading the basket as Sirius moved each item over the scanner. While he scanned and after she was done, he noticed that she was watching him with a strange look on her face. He shrugged it off, assuming she fancied him or something; Black genes often lent themselves to an overall attractive appearance.

He startled when she asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Sirius _Black_, would you?"

Sirius wondered for a second how she knew his first name before remembering the tag on his shirt. Then he had the momentary panic of being recognised by someone who was presumably from the wizarding world. He stared warily at her and she smiled calmly, still clearly wanting her question answered but happy to let it drop if he asked.

"Yes?" he answered, unsure of why that fact mattered to the woman.

She looked startled, as though she hadn't expected the positive answer. "Oh my! We've found you!"

"Uh, what?" Someone was looking for him? Why? He was just a Squib, a blemish on the Black family tree.

"James has been looking for you ever since you left his home. He's shown me all of the pictures he has of you so I could help him look. I can't believe I found you, and while I'm doing my shopping too!"

James was looking for him?

"James Potter?" he asked, just to be sure.

She nodded in confirmation. "He wants you to be in his life, Sirius. He's missed you. Would it be okay if we all met up soon?"

Still stunned at the sudden reconnection to the wizarding world and James, Sirius nodded dumbly. "Sure."

"Great! I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Potter."

She continued speaking, planning the meet-up and Sirius just went along with it, occasionally offering input. There were no customers after her, so he was free to chat and plan. When she left, he let out a great gust of air and leant against the counter. He was going back to the wizarding world, back to the Potter's who had been his family when he was younger. This was not what he had expected to happen when he got ready for work that morning.


	30. Constant Companion

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC  
Prompts: Remus Lupin/Chocolate (auction); Candy (365 words); Remus Lupin (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 313

* * *

Remus Lupin never went anywhere without some chocolate on his person somewhere. The treat had never betrayed him or caused him complicated emotions. Chocolate was chocolate, it was simple and he loved it for that. When he bit into the candy, he knew what to expect and his expectations were always met.

Through the terrifying years at Hogwarts as he tried to hide his wolf side from his friends, it was chocolate he could turn to. Even after the three other Marauders had accepted who he was without hesitation and even become Animagi for him, Remus still found himself leaning on chocolate for other things.

If he was having problems with schoolwork, other students, or any other stressors, he would snap off a bit of chocolate from a Honeydukes bar and let the smooth candy calm him. After James and Lily had been betrayed and killed, with Sirius going to Azkaban soon after for killing Peter, Remus depended on chocolate like he never had before.

It was the only thing he had left. All of his friends were gone, either dead or in prison. As soon as he had heard the news, he had reached into his secret stash and not stopped reaching ever since. All of his meagre earnings that weren't necessary for continued existence went towards buying chocolate. He spent twelve years alone with chocolate as his only companion.

Then Sirius escaped from Azkaban, Remus returned to Hogwarts to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts, and little Harry Potter was his student. Remus almost couldn't bear to look at the boy, the memories of James and Lily always threatening to re-emerge when he saw their son. His chocolate intake went up due to the memories of his friends and the presence of the dementors around the school grounds.

All he could think during that year was, _thank the gods for chocolate_.


	31. Grounded

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Spring Bingo; Snicket Fence; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon (Y); Yellow Ribbon Redux; Ravenclaw MC; Neurodivergent; Quiet Time  
Representations: Luna Lovegood; Gardening; Autistic Luna  
Bonus Challenges: Peddling Pots; Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Terrarium  
Prompts: Luna Lovegood (auction); Gardening (Insane Prompts); Bingo - 4A (Planting/Sowing)  
Word count: 320

* * *

Luna hummed to herself as she moved the earth and mixed in a fertiliser. The small plot of land outside her door would be transformed into a herb garden that she could use for both cooking and helping magical creatures. The plants sat next to her in their temporary pots, waiting to be placed in the ground.

A soft snort and a nose pushing into her back had Luna almost falling over and laughing delightedly. The thestral snorted again and nosed at Luna's pockets, knowing that there would be a treat hidden in them for him.

Luna gave him a stern look and he backed up a few paces, tail swishing as he waited semi-patiently. She giggled as she stood up and started rooting around in her pockets. Her arm was elbow-deep when she finally located the special nutrient-enhanced meat she had started storing there for the thestral when she had first begun looking after him.

She threw it at Mortimer's feet and the thestral immediately started gobbling it up. As he ate, Luna moved to his side and carefully ran her fingers over the damaged wing. It was almost healed now. The gashes on his side from where he was attacked were completely healed over and now merely scars that were slowly fading with each application of the healing ointment she used.

Mortimer's wing twitched and she looked up to see him staring at her, meat gone, and his neck twisted so that he could see the human standing next to him. She smiled at him and ran her hands down his neck.

"You'll be up in the air in no time," she said.

Mortimer let out a huff of air and bumped his head against hers. Then, he turned around and trotted off to the other side of the yard where there was a soft patch of grass to relax on. Luna smiled and returned to her gardening.


	32. Hijacking a Blizzard

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell  
Prompts: Blizzard (auction); Winter (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 644  
Fandom: Rise of the Guardians

* * *

The snow fell down in thick coats and whirled around as the wind pushed this way and then that way. Faint glows of yellow light showed where people were huddled inside buildings with their lights shining out into the darkness. The wind was howling, the snow flurrying everywhere, and the temperature freezing. There was no visibility and anyone who was trapped outside ran the very real risk of dying.

The girl standing in the middle of the road in three-quarter pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt didn't seem to realise this, and nor did her body. She let the wind and snow buffet her without a care, not shivering in the least or showing any sign that she registered the cold. Instead, she was gazing around in wonder as nature did its best to cover the town in snow.

A boy leaped off a roof nearby and landed in front of her. He was at least slightly more prepared for the weather, dressed in a blue hoodie and carrying a large cane that could help him move around the deep snow and test the safety of his next step. He grinned at the girl and extended his arms as if to ask, _what do you think_?

She grinned back at him. "I can see why you enjoy your work so much, Jack, but you do realise what day it is?"

Jack Frost—for that was who the boy was—frowned in thought and then let out a delighted chuckle. "Easter! Bunnymund is going to hate this!"

Just then, they both heard the cross Australian voice of Bunnymund as he opened a tunnel and received a deluge of snow falling onto him and his eggs. He glared at the both of them when he finally managed to hop out of the tunnel and accompanying snow. He pointed at the girl.

"You better fix this, Petals," he said, trying to ignore the snow still sticking to his fur in various places and the boy responsible for it.

Jack didn't let the bunny ignore him for very long. "Oh come on, Bunny, everyone likes a bit of snow. What's the harm?"

"The harm?" Bunnymund rounded on Jack. "The _harm_ is that I have to hide eggs all over this place and then kids are going to be digging for them tomorrow and if they're digging in the snow, they're likely to get sick from the cold! That's the _harm_, Frost."

The girl smiled serenely and didn't pay attention to the argument that started gaining momentum as the Easter Bunny and Winter Spirit batted retorts back and forth. Catching a snowflake in her hand, she whispered an apology and then blew on it. As it lifted off her hand and re-joined its companions, it shifted and changed into a flower petal.

With every bump into another madly spinning snowflake, the petal passed on the magic and gradually made all of the snowflakes into petals. The arguing pair didn't even notice and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at them. It was possible for Winter and Spring to get along, it was merely Jack Frost and Bunnymund that decided to carry on their rivalry.

The blizzard had changed from one of snow to one of flower petals and the temperature had warmed to a degree more suited to the girl's outfit than Jack's. She started spinning around on the spot with her arms outstretched and the petals followed her movements. They gathered into one large cluster around and above her before dispersing to where she directed them. She couldn't leave the streets full of petals, after all.

She glanced at Bunnymund and Jack Frost, debating whether it was worth it to break them apart. With a slight shrug, she decided it wasn't and joined the last few petals in following the (much calmer) wind, leaving two squabbling children behind.


	33. Nudge to Politeness

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Enthalled (auction); Polite (365 words); Vampire (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 497

* * *

The room was full of happy chatter as people formed small groups and then dispersed from them once a conversation had moved on. The portly figure of Horace Slughorn moved about the room, stopping to say hello to almost every person he came across. There were a few outliers, as there was always bound to be in a party such as this.

One girl stood off to the side and watched the air above everyone's head, watching the creatures she could see there. An extremely uncomfortable boy stood next to her, trying to hide himself and using the blonde girl with radish earrings as a cover at times. Occasionally, another girl would show up in the same area and also use the blonde as a cover until she inevitably had to duck away again.

Red eyes watched this corner with curiosity and a bit of distaste. It was all very well for people to be invited to a party, but if they didn't want to come there was no reason they should be forced to do so. The vampire remembered his elder brother (who had remained human and died several years ago). He had been apprehensive of parties, especially when their parents had decided to try and find a wife for the both of them.

As the vampire watched, he saw the bushy brown-haired girl return to her friends and have to vanish only a few moments later when a tall, self-satisfied looking boy started heading towards her. The vampire narrowed his red eyes and decided to take action. Leaving the side of his companion, Sanguini moved easily through the throng of people and stopped in front of the boy.

Eyes glowed with an inner light and a smooth voice said, "Come now, there is no need to pant after a lady with so little decorum."

The boy—Cormac McLaggen—hesitated. His mind went fuzzy and all he could think about was the smooth voice and the red eyes that enthralled him. He nodded dumbly in response to the words of the vampire, not able to speak as power washed over him.

"I think it's time for you to go back to your dorm and sleep, don't you? And when you wake up, you'll behave like a proper gentlemen and refrain from forcing your presence on people who would rather not tolerate it. It is in no way polite."

A satisfied smirk stretched across the vampire's lips as the boy moved away and out of the party. A little bit of nudging would do no harm, and Sanguini thought that the girl who had been pursued would most likely enjoy a night away from the rather eager and pompous boy. With no one even noticing he had left, the vampire slid back into place by his companion's side and spent the rest of the night socialising—eyes occasionally wandering to the corner and noting the trio of friends enjoying themselves far more than they had been before.


	34. Silence Falls

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; T3  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Representations: Remus Lupin; Werewolf Remus  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Terrarium  
Prompts: Moony (auction); Tongue (365 words); Silence Falls (Insane Prompts); Write a fic set at night (Advanced Warding; Task 4)  
Word count: 317

* * *

Moony howled up at the full moon to announce his presence and fell back on all fours as he prowled around the clearing he waited in. There was magic further out, barriers to keep him contained, he knew. It didn't stop animals from getting _in_ though and his pack should have been present when Moony became conscious.

They weren't there. There was no rustling of leaves as they approached, either. After a few minutes of pacing, Moony howled to the moon again. He hoped that his pack would hear the howling and come join him. A low, rumbling growl started in his chest as he paced and there was still no sign of the three animals that made up his pack.

There was no small rat that was almost too small to truly run with Moony. There was no playful stag that often butted Moony with his antlers in mischief as he bounded around the wolf. There was no black dog that would nip at his heels and run side by side with Moony, tongue lolling out of his mouth in a doggy grin.

Moony howled at the moon again. He wasn't trying to call his pack this time. Instead, he was mourning them. For what other reason could they have for not being there except one that ended in tragedy? A small, grief-stricken voice in the back of his mind that he knew belonged to Remus said that they were gone. Dead or imprisoned.

With nowhere to go and no one to run with, Moony let himself fall down onto the grass covered earth with a loud thump and placed his head on his front paws. His eyes watched the moon as it crossed the heavens. For the entire night, Moony lay perfectly still and didn't move once. Never was there any sign of his pack and he knew that Remus was right; they were gone.


	35. Spawning Life

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Spring Bingo; BAON; T3  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Spring Rain  
Representations: Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; Werewolf Remus  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse; Terrarium  
Prompts: Remus Lupin/Sirius Black (auction); Filthy (365 words); "You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." – Sam Keen (Insane Prompts); Bingo - 4D (Frog/Tadpole)  
Word count: 660

* * *

Remus was enjoying a quiet cup of tea when Sirius came bursting through the door and almost slamming into Remus' chair as he skidded to a halt. The other man was breathing heavily as though he had run full-pelt for a few minutes. He beamed at Remus and started insistently pulling at his arm, not able to speak fully yet due to his breath only happening in short huffs.

"Rem…we gotta…go get the…things…"

Remus sighed and placed his cup down before allowing Sirius to pull him out of the house. Sirius didn't bother waiting any longer or trying to catch his breath. Instead, he took a firm grasp of Remus' wrist and started dragging him out and to wherever they would get 'the things'.

Knowing not to expect Sirius to explain while he was so hyped-up and out of breath, Remus went with him and was content to wait until they reached their destination to discover what, exactly, they were doing. Sirius dragged him to the small pond a few minutes away and gestured to it proudly.

"Frogspawn!" he declared.

"You dragged me out here so we could try and catch mini tadpoles/" Remus asked flatly.

Sirius nodded and gave a slight shrug, hand going up to rub at the back of heck. "Yeah. We always did it when we were kids and it was something that helped keep me sane while I was in Azkaban… I just thought…it would be fun to do again."

Remus felt his heart break. Even though he knew intellectually that Sirius had spent twelve years locked up with only the dementors and other inmates for company, he kept forgetting that it meant Sirius had lost twelve years of his life. Those twelve years had been full of regret, grief, and confusion for Remus.

He pulled Sirius in for a quick hug and smiled at him. "Let's catch some frogspawn," he said.

Sirius' answering smile was radiant and Remus couldn't help but return it with one of his own. As he balanced precariously on a log and peered into the pond, he looked up just in time to see Sirius lose his balance and fall into the water. There was a loud splash and then Sirius resurfaced with a rather startled expression that turned into one of triumph when he noticed the frogspawn right next to him.

He quickly gathered as much as he could in his shirt and started clambering out of the pond, clutching the material of his shirt closed so as not to lose the precious cargo. Remus burst out laughing at Sirius' bedraggled and filthy appearance as he quickly hopped off the log before Sirius could get retribution by making Remus fall in.

Sirius gave him a mock-hurt look and said, "No kisses for you tonight."

"Oh, I don't know," Remus said airily. "I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

"Go find a frog," Sirius returned.

"But what if it turns into Prince Charming?"

Sirius had to think about that. Eventually he sighed and held out the hand that wasn't clutching his shirt closed. "You've already got your Prince Charming," he said with a small chuckle.

"Indeed I do," Remus replied, taking the offered hand and then crying out in surprise when Sirius used it as leverage to push him into the pond.

Sirius was laughing heartily when he came back up and he joined in as he waded out of the water, completely soaked and covered in pond scum. He wrapped his arms around Sirius before whispering, "I claim first shower," and racing back to the house.

He could hear Sirius' shouts following him and knew the other man would be running as fast as he could without losing the tiny beings that would become frogs. He also knew that Sirius would ignore Remus' claim and join him in the shower, but at least he'd have a few moments of glorious hot, clean water all to himself.


	36. Tomb Opened, Friend Required

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; Starry Strums  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell; In the Library  
Representations: Jenkins; Sydney Fox; Jacob Stone; Sydney is a myth in the Library  
Bonus Challenges: Found Family; Nontraditional; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; White Dress)  
Prompts: Mythology (auction); Require (365 words); Going to work (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 977  
Fandom: The Librarians and Relic Hunter

* * *

The Clippings Book shone very briefly before quieting down. It would have gone unnoticed except for the fact that Jacob was sitting at the table and working on a paper about Roman architecture. His own small notebook hadn't notified him and he curiously stood up to flip the Clippings Book open and see what it had found.

On the page was a short newspaper article about a tomb being discovered where there was no record of there being one. He hummed in interest as he skimmed the article. The people in charge thought it was from Roman times and Jacob could confirm that with the images provided. The small symbols engraved on the stones made the tomb look as though it might be related to magic and as Jacob examined it further, he realised that it was very likely the tomb had been made during King Arthur's time.

Jenkins entered the main room then and made a small noise in the back of his throat when he saw Jacob hunched over the book.

"Is your own Book insufficient, Mr Stone?" he asked.

Jacob was still pouring over the page. "It didn't alert me," he explained in an abstracted manner.

"Ah," Jenkins said as he peered over Jacob's shoulder and saw what he was looking at. "We may need to phone a friend, as you young people say."

"Phone a friend? Why? It looks like a regular case to me."

Jenkins shook his head and moved in the direction of the telephone. "There are some things that require a specific hand to deal with them. And Queen Guinevere's tomb is one of them."

"Wait, Queen _Guinevere's_ tomb? As in King Arthur and the Round Table, Guinevere?"

"Yes. The magic returning to the ley lines must have cracked the enchantments Merlin left on it and it's now been discovered. We'll need someone who can get in there and seal it back up and there's only one person that has that knowledge."

"And who's that?"

Jenkins gave a small smile as he entered the number on the telephone. "Guinevere's maid, of course."

"Oh, of course." Jacob turned back to the Clippings Book, still not used to the fact that Jenkins was an immortal being of some kind from the time of King Arthur.

* * *

A shrill tone rang through the office and a voice called out, "Claudia, could you get that, please?"

The tone cut off as the phone was picked up and was replaced by the Claudia's voice. "Ancient Studies," she greeted. "Uh-huh, yep. Right. The library? Why are you…uh-huh."

This went on for a few minutes before the phone was placed back down and Claudia stuck her head into Sydney's office. Sydney looked up at her expectantly from the paperwork she was sorting in the filing cabinets.

"Some old guy from the library wants to talk to you. He's on line two."

"The library?" Sydney asked. "Which one?"

Claudia shrugged. "He didn't say, just said 'the library' as though that was special or something."

"Oh," was the long, drawn-out reply of Sydney as she realised who was calling. She waved Claudia away and picked up the phone. "Jenkins, what can I do for you?"

"_Guinevere's tomb has been found_," was the reply and Sydney frowned.

"But surely Merlin's enchantments—" she cut herself off as she realised what had happened. "The ley lines."

"_Yes. I think they've short-circuited Merlin's magic and we need to flick the switch, as it were_."

Sydney was already moving around her office, collecting the items she would need. "Can you open a door?" she asked loudly (the telephone was on the other side of the room).

"_It's already open and waiting._"

"I'll be there soon, then."

She hung up, slung her bag over her shoulder and went out into the main Ancient Studies office. Claudia watched her go curiously and Nigel was already getting ready to leave. Sydney shook her head at Nigel, causing him to pause in his packing.

"Not this time, Nigel. This is a personal matter."

Nigel sank back down into his chair, looking rather put out at having to remain behind and deal with the paperwork that cluttered his desk. "Oh, okay. Well, uh, have fun then."

She nodded at the two of them and marched out, heading for the small, unused classroom that held the door Jenkins opened. It was the safest place to open a door to the Annex, no one went to the classroom and even if they did, they didn't use the small supply closet that was also in there.

She stepped through the door in time to hear a male voice say, "The Fox? She's a myth, I've seen mentions of her in old texts the Library has, but they always said it was a trick."

"She's very good at hiding in plain sight," was Jenkins' reply.

"Just as you are good at hiding in old buildings," she returned as she left the white in-between space the door always had.

Jenkins bobbed his head but said nothing in defence of himself. Instead he gestured between Sydney and the other male in the room. "Mr. Stone, meet Sydney Fox, otherwise known as The Fox. Sydney, this is Jacob Stone."

Sydney gripped Jacob's hand in a firm handshake and smiled at him. "Tell me what you have," she said as she rounded the table to look at the Clippings Book.

The two men hastened to fill her in and then she was off with Jenkins at her side. Merlin's magic required the talents only she and Jenkins possessed—not even Dulaque would be able to interact with the spells woven in the stones of Guinevere's tomb. Jacob Stone was left behind, looking wistfully at the Einstein-Rosen Bridge that would lead him to Queen Guinevere's tomb but forcing his mind back to the paper he needed to write.


	37. Castle Black

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Bow Before the Blacks  
Prompts: Belvina Black (auction); Majestic (365 words); Flying on a broom (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 313

* * *

Belvina ran through the halls of the majestic castle that was her domain. Her father was in charge of the place, and she knew that meant she also held power via association. Her brothers were outside flying on their stupid broomsticks, trying to kill each other accidently to lessen the amount Father's belongings and money had to stretch when he died.

There were no students ruining the quiet of her castle, they were all away on Summer holidays. Belvina had the castle all to herself. The Healer was up in her Hospital Wing cleaning it up after the term, and Father was in his office working through the boring paperwork that occupied most of his time. The young girl came across a window that gave a view of the Quidditch Pitch and stopped to watch her brothers for a few moments.

They were all diving at each other and pulling up at the last second. A few balls circled around the pitch but were clearly set to only function in their roles when they were being focused on. The two bludgers were hovering in the middle of the small cluster of boys, eager and ready to attack should one of them start focusing. The Snitch was whizzing from boy to boy, as though silently asking them to pay attention to it.

She rolled her eyes as Phineas flew at Sirius. Sirius was the eldest of them, and Phineas was always trying to prevent him from becoming the Head of the Black Family. She watched long enough to know that Sirius evaded Phineas and then continued on her explorations. There was a rumour she had heard from one of the professors that she wanted to see if she could verify. A room that became whatever the user wanted would be extremely useful for a Black daughter, she thought as she moved up the stairs.


	38. Daleks Bringing People Together

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Snicket Fence  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell (Y); Ethnic and Present  
Representations: Clyde Langer; Alex (OC); A library  
Bonus Challenges: Bee Haven  
Prompts: "Take my hand, we'll make it. I swear." (auction); Statement (365 words); Sci-Fi (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 409  
Fandom: Sarah-Jane Adventures

* * *

"Take my hand, we'll make it. I swear."

Alex looked up at the face of their companion who had already saved their life once that day at that statement. They had been reading in the library while waiting for their parents to finish grocery shopping when the lights had all gone out, including the light of the sun.

The male gave them a cocky grin, as though he was entirely confident that everything would work out fine. Alex didn't know how he could be so assured; the sun going out wasn't something that happened with any sort of frequency and the few times it had done so in history not caused by an eclipse had been followed by terror.

Still, it couldn't help to have someone by their side when the world all went to hell. With a weak imitation of the other teenager's grin, Alex took a grasp of the offered hand and let themselves be pulled up from the curled up ball that had been huddled in. Still hunched over, the male guided Alex along the shelves until they could see the front doors of the library and the outside world.

There were creatures walking the street. Creatures like nothing Alex had ever seen. They were like pepper pots but with three rods sticking out on one side. One of them seemed to be an eye, scanning the street for life.

"I'm Clyde," Alex's companion said as he watched the street outside.

"Alex," they replied.

"Do you know where Bannerman Road is?" Clyde asked and continued speaking when Alex nodded. "We're going there. We'll be safe, it's protected. Number thirteen."

"What if they catch us?" Alex hissed, clutching Clyde's hand tighter as the being outside moved closer to the library.

Clyde flashed them a reassuring smile. "They won't. Look at them, they're slow and they can't be great at going over rough surfaces. We'll go through the park and then make a dash for it."

"If you say so."

"Hey, trust me. I've been in these situations before. Generally not by myself, but you know…"

He trailed off and Alex saw the fear he was hiding beneath the bravado and attempts to make Alex feel better. They knocked their shoulder into Clyde's.

"You're not by yourself this time, either," they said. "You have me."

Clyde gave them a surprised look before smirking. "Yeah I do. Those monsters won't know what's happening with us two at the helm."


	39. Deals for the Soul

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC (x3)  
Prompts: Poor Unfortunate Souls - The Little Mermaid (auction); Wealth (365 words); Office (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 579

* * *

There were whispers going through the halls of Hogwarts. There was a wizard out there that could help bring back glory to the wizarding world. All he needed was an agreement and a contract. It was a good deal. A deal that would allow the purebloods to have control over the wizarding world once more without the influence of the Muggle world seeping through the cracks created by Muggleborns.

Antonin Dolohov stared up at Malfoy Mansion as it stood proudly in front of him. In there, he knew, was the man who would take his pledge and remake the world into a better version of itself. He squared his shoulders and stepped forwards. He had come here for a reason and he would see that through.

He dropped his outer cloak down to the house-elf—ignoring its slight squeak at the sudden weight—and waited for Lucius or someone else to greet him. The entrance hall was as large and grand as the rest of the mansion, decorated in the white and golden trims that Antonin knew continued throughout the main areas of the building. The wealth of the Malfoy family was on full display within their home.

"Antonin," Lucius greeted as he appeared out of a side door.

Antonin nodded at him. "Lucius. I've come to see the Lord Voldemort."

"I thought you might. This way."

Antonin followed Lucius down a hallway that was just as extravagant as the entrance. A door to the left was ajar and Lucius gestured for Antonin to enter. He took a deep breath as subtly as he could and then entered the room.

It was an office. There were bookshelves lining the walls and a dark wooden desk set off to one side. Seated behind the desk was a man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had dark hair and brown eyes with small red flecks swirling in them. He smiled at Antonin and Antonin felt himself both relax and become more on guard.

"Antonin Dolohov, what can I do for you?" The man's voice was smooth and velvety.

"Lord Voldemort. I hear you can do something for me, provided I give you a vow."

The Dark Lord gave a thin smile and stood up. His dark wand twirled around in his fingers as he circled Antonin. He made considering noises as he walked and Antonin knew he was being sized up for his usefulness.

Behind him, Lucius said, "He will be useful to the cause, My Lord."

"He shall be your responsibility, Lucius. Do you agree to serve me, Dolohov?"

Antonin nodded. "Yes."

Stabbing pain started in his left arm where Lord Voldemort placed his wand and flooded through his entire body. It was like what he thought the Cruciatus Curse might feel like. He tried to hold in his scream but as the pain increased, he couldn't keep it back any longer. He screamed as every nerve ending was lit up and a vow etched into his very being.

"Once you do one small thing for me, you will have your desire," Lord Voldemort said.

Antonin nodded, exhaustion flooding his body. He wished he could just collapse on the floor and sleep, but he had work to do for his Lord. Lucius and Lord Voldemort watched him as he struggled to stand and nodded in approval when he managed it.

He sank to one knee in front of Lord Voldemort. "I will serve you faithfully, my Lord."


	40. Family Traits

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell (Y)  
Representations: Sally Jackson; Hades  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still)  
Prompts: Percy Jackson (auction); Shadow (365 words); Bob Riley quote (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 485  
Fandom: Percy Jackson

* * *

Sally Jackson was a woman who would do anything for her son. She gladly faced the minotaur to give Percy enough time to get to the safety of Camp Half-Blood. Even as she felt the squeezing around her throat, her thoughts were on Percy and she screamed at him to _go_. There was nothing he could do to save her and it wasn't his job to do so. She needed him to be safe.

A flash of light enveloped her, and she blinked as she suddenly found herself standing in a grand room with skeleton guards standing around the corner and a high ceiling above. The room was all black and commanding attention was the black throne of shadow in the centre of the room with a man sitting on it. His clothes twisted and shifted without him moving and as Sally looked closer, she saw that the shifting effect was from the souls woven in the cloth.

"You must be Hades," she stated,

Hades inclined his head. "And you are the mother of the thief."

"Percy is no thief." Even though she was facing the Greek god of death, she felt no fear and defended her son.

"Zeus certainly thinks he is."

Sally snorted in derision. "Zeus is an idiot then, and you're a bigger one for believing what he says without getting your own facts first. Sending a Fury after my son while he's at school? What was the purpose of that?"

"You dare call me a fool?" Hades' voice thundered around the chamber, intimidating and making a few of the stalactites on the ceiling break and fall down.

"Yes," Sally said, not showing any fear. "Because you are one and you've brought my son into a world I didn't want him to go to yet. That is on you, Hades."

"Your son is the spawn of Poseidon; he would have been hunted down even if I hadn't sent my Fury."

"If you hadn't intervened, he would have been able to be a child for longer instead of having to worry about gods and monsters."

"I can see why my brother liked you," Hades said as he stared at the mortal who stood up to him without trembling in fear or begging for her life.

"I can see why your brothers don't like you," Sally retorted. "Stop your attack on my son immediately."

"You think you can order me about?"

"I think I am a mother who will protect her son with everything she's got."

Hades growled and clenched his hand into a fist. Golden light encased Sally Jackson and she was frozen. He had had enough of her and refused to listen to the words she said any longer. She would remain in his kingdom until the thief inevitably came in search of his mother. If the mother would stand up to the god of the dead, what would the son do?


	41. Gazing Garden

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Advice from the Mug  
Representations: Xenophilius Lovegood; Luna Lovegood  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Garden (auction); Luminous (365 words); Stargazing (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 329

* * *

The night sky was clear of clouds and the wind calm as the pair made their way up the hill to the small garden. Plants of all varieties thrived in the garden, each contained in a magical bubble that provided their optimum environments. Such magic would have be harmful to inherently magical plants, but herbs such as lavender and mint were quite happy to grow in such conditions.

Entering the garden filled the duo with happiness and peace as the smells of the plants growing there drifted towards them. A blanket was placed on the ground and the two lay down on it, looking up at the sky in silence as they watched the luminous stars shine above them. There was a thermos and two cups sitting next to the blanket, ready for when the two needed a pick-me-up.

When the girl was holding in yawns, the man shifted and handed over a cup for the girl to hold steady. She did so diligently and watched the brown liquid spill from the thermos. Once that cup was full, she carefully placed it to the side and they repeated the process with the other cup. That one, the man took back from the girl and she picked up her own.

A wave of a wand brought over the cushions that had been waiting in a small wicker basket nearby and they both leaned back into them as they sipped the hot chocolate. The girl smiled softly as she sipped the warm drink and watched the heavens above. Here, doing something that had always been just her and her father, she could feel her mother's presence watching over them.

The mix of scents from the garden somehow smelt like her mother. Stargazing with her father and the ghost of her mother feeling so close, she felt at peace. Here, in the garden her mother had created and her father maintained, there was nothing wrong in the world and she was happy.


	42. Later

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC  
Prompts: _Almost_ by Tamia (auction); Drown (365 words); Loneliness (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 328

* * *

It was always later. After the ball, after the war, after whatever else was next. Always excuses that followed one after the other. There was a promise to the future that was never fulfilled and now never would be. Time had run out, along with excuses and reasons. There was nothing left and as Theo looked out at the grounds of the Nott house, he felt the sadness and loneliness that had been present for the past week well up inside him.

They had almost been there. Theo had been sure that they would finally have reached the end of excuses with time still stretching ahead of them. But they hadn't. he sighed, letting out a large whoosh of air and hoping the blandness of his life followed it. He had lived through the war with the hope that at the end, there would be happiness and freedom waiting for him.

What had happened? Why had it all vanished from his life as soon as it was within reach? The Ministry was still rounding up people suspected of working under Voldemort and he had to deal with Aurors coming to check out the house every other week due to his father's servitude to the Dark Lord.

Apparently that was too much to deal with and he had been abandoned for something easier. No matter that they had already lived through the prejudice in Hogwarts, or that they had seen an all-out war and somehow survived. The constant eyes watching them had grown to be too much and that was that.

He pushed off the windowsill and meandered back through the house to the kitchen. Such deep thoughts needed a cup of tea to accompany them or they would drown him with their weight. His hands shook slightly as he poured the boiling water into the mug and he glared at them. There was no space for weakness in the Nott family, and he wouldn't start showing it now.


	43. Learning

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Representations: Fleur Delacour/Weasley; Louis Weasley  
Bonus Challenges: Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Louis Weasley (auction); Obsession (365 words); Next Gen era (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 383

* * *

Louis looked up at his mother as they settled down at a café and their waiter hurried off with their order. The waiter was constantly looking back at them, almost tripping over a co-worker as he attempted to watch Louis' mother. His mother ignored it and Louis decided he wanted to know why so many people acted the way they did around her.

"Why was he like that, Mama?" he asked.

Fleur Weasley directed her eyes to where her son was looking and gave a small sigh. "I suppose it is time you learned more about your family."

Louis sat up straighter at that. He was always ready to learn more and he lived for the times when his parents would peel back a bit more of the intrigue that surrounded them. His father had a large scar on his face that he still didn't know the story behind, and he had just found out that his Uncle George had had a twin brother that had died during the recent war.

"I am what is known as a Veela, Louis. It means that some people think I am less than human. Though that mentality has been fading," she added the last part quickly to assure her son as he showed signs of getting up and storming to the nearest table to ask them if they thought his mother was less than they were. "Being who I am comes with a price. Those who are weak willed or more susceptible to outside influences are drawn to me and lose all sense of self. They develop an obsession with me."

"But you don't mean to do that, do you?"

"No. But there are some things that are out of our control and though I try my best, it is not all from me. I cannot control other people beyond taking away their autonomy without permission from either of us. It is not the best of situations, but it is who I am."

Louis nodded, accepting the explanation and letting it drop for the time being. He knew there was more to be told, but he also knew that he would hear more later. That was the way in their family; information was never hidden, but was sometimes withheld until his parents decided they were ready.


	44. Pasty Woes

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Pumpkin Pasty (auction); Waste (365 words); I've Got a Dream - Tangled (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 332

* * *

The pasty sat at the bottom of a pyramid of other pasties. Its load grew lighter and lighter as gradually, the pasties from above were taken away and eaten. There was laughter and chattering all around it, people enjoying themselves and (most importantly) the food. There was the occasional burst of magical energy as someone cast a spell.

These bursts were generally accompanied by louder chatter and sometimes applause. The pumpkin pasty waited patiently to be exposed to the world and be claimed. Magic flew overhead as a silvery fox ran over the table of food and murmurs of congratulations and applause filled the room again. A dark hand appeared and picked up the pasty's top neighbour, revealing the pasty to the room as a whole.

The pumpkin pasty would have started jumping up and down in excitement if it could have. Soon, it would be claimed. Soon, it would be able to fulfil its purpose. There was a sudden squawk and laughter burst out. The pasty waited somewhat impatiently to be selected. Just as a hand was reaching out for it, a thump sounded and the hand retreated.

Bodies ran away from the food tables, and hands dropped the food they had been holding. There was a desperate squawking and flapping of wings as the person who had fallen prey to a canary cream attempted to flee. The pasty started shedding crumbs as its table was abandoned and all hope of being chosen lost.

The sound of a snap was heard, and the pasty was back in the kitchen, uneaten. If it had breath, it would have sighed. House-elves bustled around it and it knew that they wouldn't select it for eating. Perhaps, if it was lucky, it would be sent as a private snack to a professor and not go to waste. That would be nice; the pumpkin pasty would be able to be a part of a special platter if that happened. It just had to be chosen first.


	45. Perfectly Standard

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC  
Prompt: "I've had it up to here with you." (auction); Courtesy (365 words); Heirloom (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 333

* * *

There was a crash and an angered shout. "Merlin! Every time, you hit that and _every_ time, I have to repair it. I've had it up to here with you!"

The orange kneazle waved her tail lazily in the air as the shards of the vase lay on the floor around her. Ginny sighed as she watched the pure indifference of the kneazle that had once again knocked over the precious vase in the attempt of climbing higher and didn't even have the courtesy to pretend repentant.

"_Reparo,_" Ginny said with a sigh as she waved her wand.

The shattered vase joined back together and looked as good as ever. Aside from the normal wear that using magic constantly on an object created, there were no other signs that it had been broken and repaired. With a warning glare at the kneazle, Ginny set the heirloom on a higher shelf where it would hopefully be safe.

Audrey merely swished her tail and used a graceful leap to get onto Ginny's shoulder. She wound around the red-haired girl's neck and purred with content. Ginny tried to retain her anger but couldn't keep it up as Audrey cuddled up to her.

"Fine, let's go."

Audrey meowed in agreement as Ginny moved in the direction of the living room and thus, the fire that was warming up the small apartment. When they reached the living room, Ginny collapsed on the couch and started stroking through Audrey's fur. The kneazle settled happily in Ginny's lap and soaked up the attention happily.

The fire crackled in front of them. A wool basket sat next to the couch that both Audrey and Ginny used for various pursuits (mainly crochet and batting the balls around the floor). A still steaming cup of tea sat to the left where it had been abandoned when Ginny had first leapt up to respond to the loud crash from the hallway.

In all, it was a perfectly standard day for Ginny Weasley and Audrey.


	46. Playing Favourites

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Shipping War; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x2); Slytherin MC  
Representations: Charlie Weasley; Molly Weasley; Draco Malfoy  
Bonus Challenges: Nontaditional; Sneeze Weasel; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Charlie Weasley/Draco Malfoy (auction; Insane Prompts); Moment (365 words)  
Word count: 657

* * *

A head appeared in the fireplace. It looked out onto an abandoned living room with no sign of an occupant. There was only the sound of crackling flames for a few minutes as the head waited patiently for someone to notice it. Eventually, the head gave a sigh, took in a deep breath (thankfully not inhaling any of the ash or flames), and called out into the empty space.

"_Charlie Weasley_," it proclaimed loudly. "_Where_ _are you_?"

There was a loud crash from the left of the head and it looked expectantly in that direction. Soon enough, a tall, red-headed man came scrambling into view and fell to his knees in front of the fireplace.

"Sorry, Mum, I forgot."

"Forgot? _Forgot_? You go all the way back to Romania after the war and then you _forget_ to check-in?"

Charlie grimaced and nodded. He hadn't been involved in the war all that much, only really returning to Britain to defend Hogwarts during the last battle. He had lost one of his brothers during that battle and he had wanted to get away from it. If he was in Romania, he could at least pretend that all was well back home; that Fred wasn't gone.

"I've been busy?" he tried as a way to calm his irate mother.

Molly frowned and then snapped out, "Busy with _what_, exactly?"

Charlie cast a glance in the direction he had come from and hesitated. He knew that if he told his mother the whole truth, it would just create more friction and stagnant anger in the Weasley household. His family needed time to move on from the horrors of war before they were exposed to something else that would be difficult for them.

"I've been tending to a dragon, Mum," he said. "He's sick and I'm the only tamer he'll let near him."

It was all true. He _was_ tending to a dragon. The dragon in question _did_ only let Charlie near him, though that was less to do with trustworthy handling and more to deal with an intense dislike of unknown and untested people.

Molly sighed and gave in. She knew by now that Charlie tended to let everything else slip his mind when dragons were about. "Alright, Charlie. Just, try and remember to check in every week. Please?"

"I will, Mum. I'm sorry I forgot. But I'm all good, I'm still alive and I'm doing well, you don't need to worry about me."

"I love you, dear."

"Love you too, Mum."

Charlie reflected his mother's smile as she pulled out of the fireplace, flames losing their green hue as she left the Floo network and returned to the Burrow. Once she was gone, he let out a heavy sigh and lifted himself off the floor.

Coughing sounded from the room he had been in when his mother had called and he made his back to see Draco attempting to hack up a lung or two. Instantly, he was at his boyfriend's side and rubbing his back to try and soothe the coughs. Once they had stopped for the moment, Draco leaned back into the pile of pillows that held him semi-upright and smiled when Charlie smoothed the sweaty hair from his forehead.

"I'm a dragon now, am I?" Draco asked hoarsely.

Charlie nodded as he handed over the glass of water that had been sitting on the bedside table. "My favourite dragon."

Draco laughed weakly. "Don't let Hera hear you say that," he warned, referencing the Swedish Short-Snout that had taken a liking to Charlie.

"She'll survive," Charlie said, taking the glass back and laying next to Draco on the bed.

"Mm, but will you?" Draco asked tiredly as he curled into Charlie's side and felt the exhaustion from battling infection wash over him.

He felt a kiss on his forehead and heard Charlie say, "I have my own dragon to protect me," before sleep dragged him into its depths.


	47. Sleepless Flying

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC  
Prompts: Oliver Wood/Daphne Greengrass (auction); Unlikely (365 words); Broomstick (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 339

* * *

Oliver traipsed into the castle with water from the rain outside running off his body and dripping onto the floor. He paid it no mind, even knowing that Filch would more than likely track him down later and make him clean it up himself. He groaned as he entered a side passage and slid down to the floor, letting his broomstick fall to the ground with a clatter.

He dropped his head on his knees and let his body just sink into the floor and wall. He was so tired and he still had more practice to do. It was his last year at Hogwarts and he _had to_ win a Quidditch Cup. He had been so close these past few years, and every time he had lost it. It was either Harry being injured and taken out for the count (which Oliver didn't blame the kid for), or the school itself cancelling Quidditch for one reason or another.

Footsteps approached him. He didn't look up when the person slid down next to him. A hand landed on his own, pale and slim. He let out a small groan and sat back. Daphne smiled softly at him and he smiled tiredly back.

"You should sleep, Oliver. You can't possibly win the cup while you are operating on so little sleep."

"If only I could, Daphne."

"Go to the house-elves, they should be able to help."

"I'll try."

She leaned into him, ignoring the mud that coated his red Quidditch robes and rubbed off on her pristine clothes. Every time she touched him while he was muddied up, he felt shocked that the neat Slytherin was happy to be with the Quidditch obsessed Gryffindor who paid little information to his own appearance. They made an unlikely pair, but one that he enjoyed immensely.

He lay his head on Daphne's and let out a long sigh. He would be able to sleep tonight from the flying he had done earlier; tomorrow, he would ask the house-elves for help with his insomnia.


	48. The Boy-Who-Travelled

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; SF  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Advice from the Mug; Tiny Terror (Y); New Fandom Smell (Y)  
Representations: Harry Potter but not  
Prompts: Travelers (auction; Insane Prompts); Identity (365 words)  
Word count: 369  
Warning: Character death  
Fandom: Travelers and Harry Potter

* * *

On October 31st of the year 1981, James Potter, Lily Potter, and Harry Potter died from the killing curse cast by Lord Voldemort. Milliseconds after the green light hit the young body of one Harry Potter, the boy clutched his head and screamed as another entity entered his mind. The backlash from taking such a young host exploded into the room and hit the Dark Lord that had just started gloating.

The Dark Lord disintegrated in a green light so similar to that created by the killing curse. His voice joined that of Harry Potter's in a scream of pain. When all that was left of the most feared Dark Lord of all time was ashes, a misty figure rose up out of them. The phantom cried out in anger and pain as it dived at the still writhing body of the youngest Potter.

It passed straight through the boy, receiving a shock as it did so, and continued on through the wall behind and away from the curse-destroyed house. Inside, the body of Harry Potter stilled and sat up. He looked around the room, blinking as he got used to his new vision and thought wistfully of the corrective eye surgery he had had in the future.

To no one in particular, he said, "Traveller 99 has arrived successfully."

He watched silently as a man dressed all in black ran into the room and collapsed over the body of Harry Potter's mother. He let the man with long black hair take him out of the cot. He kept silent as both he and a flying motorbike were handed over to a half-giant. Even as he was placed on a doorstep with no real protection in the cold of an autumn night, he did nothing.

The history books said this had to happen. It was his duty to follow the books and make sure that history stayed the same. For the rest of his life, he would carry the identity of Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Towards the end of his life, he would write a book about his life and include a chapter only visible to certain technology—technology that wouldn't even exist for another hundred years after that.


	49. Traditions

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; New Fandom Smell; Alpha & Omega (Y)  
Prompts: ABO 'verse (auction); Opponent (365 words); Supernatural (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 451  
Fandom: Supernatural

* * *

Golden wings flashed as their owner soared through the air and dived into the cover of clouds. Behind the figure flew three others, all of them with six wings of their own. Following those three were two more with four wings carrying them through the air. Even with the warnings spread about following the omega with golden wings, the alphas and betas were too caught up in the hunt to use their common sense.

As one, the five of them followed the slight figure into the cloud cover and attempted to catch the tempting omega. It was with confidence that they entered, each of them sure that it was _them_ who would finally bring their unruly opponent in and teach him manners. It was with bruises on their skin and pride that they fell out of the clouds, wings desperately beating to try and regain equilibrium.

Above them, hidden by the clouds, a man with golden wings unfurled the four that had been hidden and smirked. That was another five people who couldn't control their urges removed from the playing field. Even though hunts for a mate were a thing of the past, some people still held onto those instincts and gave into them when let loose on the field.

The playing field was just that, a field for play. Sometimes, it created a connection between alphas, betas, and omegas that would continue to become a bond, but it wasn't there for that purpose. It honoured the old traditions but didn't continue the tradition of taking without consent during the heat of the moment.

Wings folded back in and there were once again only two visible as the man let himself drop out of the cloud cover. He had taken it upon himself to patrol the skies and draw the more uninhibited hunters to him instead of letting them run wild and possibly harm an innocent. The task had the best of both worlds to him; he was tricking dicks who felt too entitled and he was helping people.

And if his own bondmate with chocolate-brown wings treated him to a pampering session of sugary delights and a cheesy movie afterwards, well, that was just a (very good) bonus. As the man thought of the bondmate that would also be patrolling the skies, a horn sounded and he grinned. Six wings out in full display, he flew home and met his bondmate at the door, both of them smiling and breathless from the adrenaline rush drawing in the uncontrolled element and controlling them brought.

"Disney or Rom-Com?" was the question he was greeted with.

Gabriel slipped into the sideways hug and replied, "Is that even a question, Sammy? Disney, of course!"


	50. Dancing Queen

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; QL  
Individual Challenges: Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x3); Slytherin MC  
Prompts: Lace ball gown (auction); Long-time friendship (Insane Prompts); Write about a Gryffindor and Slytherin friendship (QL)  
Team: Wigtown Wanderers  
Position: Captain  
Word count: 1,045  
Beta: Aya Diefair  
Note: We know nothing about the personal lives of Tracey and Alicia, so I have them grow up together in this story.

* * *

The school was abuzz with chatter as the Christmas holidays drew nearer and brought the Yule Ball with them. Alicia smiled to herself as she followed the rest of the Gryffindors out of the classroom that had become the place Professor McGonagall taught them all dancing. The lessons were always full of awkwardness and laughter as boys and girls were forced together to learn the finer points of moving their feet around with a partner to lead or follow.

Alicia had always been light on her feet and possessed the coordination required for ball dancing in spades. She had gained control over her body from a young age with lessons in both dance and martial arts. The thought had never occurred to her that she would be using those skills during an actual ball. They had merely been fun to learn, and her parents had figured it would be a good way to let Alicia get rid of excess energy not burnt off during the day.

As the other Gryffindors streamed in the direction of the Great Hall and food, Alicia split off down to the kitchens. Angelina and Katie waved at her and she returned it; the two other girls knew where she was going and why, but it was an otherwise unknown fact in the walls of Hogwarts.

Tracey was sitting at the table where the house-elves had placed a meal, waiting for Alicia. She smiled when Alicia came in and gestured to the food in front of her.

"We have apple pie for dessert!" the girl exclaimed with obvious excitement.

Alicia could see her eyeing the pie and laughed. "No dessert until you've finished your dinner," she said with mock sternness.

"Yes, _Mother_," Tracey returned with a pout before breaking off into peals of laughter.

Alicia joined her as she sat down at the table. She and Tracey had been friends before they had learned magic was very real and received letters from Hogwarts. When Alicia had first received her letter, she'd been so excited to tell Tracey but had been warned not to by Professor Sprout who solemnly informed the young girl about the Statute of Secrecy and the consequences of breaking it.

Then, two years later, Tracey had gotten her own letter. The first Alicia knew about it was when Tracey walked into the Great Hall with the rest of the first years to be sorted. She had nearly poked Katie's eye out with the fork she had been idly spinning when she spotted her childhood friend standing in the building of magic learning she'd had to keep a secret.

With the current political climate, and the fact that Tracey wasn't a pureblood as well as being sorted into Slytherin House (which rather like purebloods), the two had made an executive decision to keep their friendship on the down low. Hence the dinner dates in the kitchen while the rest of the student body ate upstairs. A friendship between the rivalling Houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin was not the safest of things in Hogwarts.

As they both loaded up their plates with dinner, Tracey asked, "So? Have you decided on a dress yet?"

"Maybe," Alicia replied. She stabbed her fork down onto a roast potato and waved the skewered vegetable around vaguely as she continued. "I've narrowed it down to two options."

"Please tell me the purple lace one is one of those options," Tracey begged, pouring gravy over her plate.

Alicia nodded and finally took a bite. "Mmhmm. It's currently winning over the other one, but there are perks to the green one."

"Green is Slytherin," Tracey pointed out. "That automatically makes it cool."

"It would, if I were in Slytherin. But I'm not, and besides, purple is both pretty and the official colour of our glamourous school."

"School pride, always good when we have intruders in our midst."

Alicia flicked a pea at Tracey. "Be nice. Some of them are risking their lives for this stupid tournament that we're all supposed to be so hyped up about."

"Just be glad you're not stuck in the Slytherin Common Room while Malfoy extolls Potter's faults."

"Instead I have to watch the kid try and not get killed by a tournament made for people who are studying for their NEWTs."

* * *

The ballroom was packed with people as the student body of Hogwarts from years four and up (with the occasional younger student) writhed together on the dance floor or stood to the sides getting refreshments. Alicia, wearing the purple lace ball gown she had settled on, danced in a trio consisting of her, Katie, and Tracey. All of the Houses were mixing tonight, and no one seemed to care what House you were from so long as you weren't personal enemies.

Angelina was off dancing with Fred Weasley and Katie had happily accepted Tracey as their third companion for the night. The Weird Sisters were playing on the stage, leading the throng below in their movements with the sound they created. It was the perfect night for Alicia. She had her friends all around her, including the one that was generally kept in the shadows for the sake of both of their safety.

Music was blasting out from the stage and she bounced up and down to it, clasping hands with Katie and Tracey as they whirled around the dance floor with careless abandon. Next to them were more groups of students from various Houses and schools. A Beauxbatons' student and a Ravenclaw were sweeping across the floor in a chaotic version of the tango while a Durmstrang and Hufflepuff whirled around each other with their arms waving above their heads to the music.

Tracey clutched Alicia's hand tighter and dragged her and Katie off the floor, picking up Angelina and Fred along the way. She made a beeline for the refreshments and they all revived themselves with nibbles and drinks as they watched the crush of people they had been a part of just recently. It was _exhilarating_.

Alicia bumped her shoulder into Tracey's and grinned at her friend. "You good?"

Tracey grinned back at her. "Definitely. You?"

"Oh, most certainly. I have my friends, I have an awesome purple dress, and there's dancing. What more could I ask for?"


	51. Anything Goes (at Dudley's)

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon  
Prompts: Piers Polkiss (auction); Permission (365 words); Watching television (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 310  
Warning: Bullying references and mindset

* * *

Piers grinned as he left his house to go over to Dudley's. He could get away with pretty much everything at Dudley's place. There wasn't any annoying mum or dad telling him to clean his room or be polite. At Dudley's he was free to just watch telly or play video games. He could also convince Dudley to play one his favourite games; pummelling his friend's scrawny cousin and facing no consequences.

Dudley had _the life_ in the Piers' opinion. His parents didn't care what he did so long as he was happy. Piers had tried Dudley's tactics on his own parents, but they hadn't been impressed; they had even gone to the Dursley's and tried to talk about Dudley controlling them with his tantrums. Of course, Dudley's parents were so devoted to their son that they thought Piers' parents were talking out of their arses and that Dudley was, "_Just the perfect little angel."_

"Hi, Mrs. D," Piers said when the door to number 4, Privet Drive opened to reveal Dudley's mum. "Dudley about?"

Mrs. Dursley nodded and gestured Piers up the stairs before returning to the kitchen. Piers heard her voice berate the Potter kid on his mixing skills as he made his way up the stairs. Dudley was watching cartoons when he arrived, and Piers instantly joined him on the bed. Dudley grunted a greeting and let the bowl of crisps sit in between them.

The cartoon was one that Piers' parents would never give him permission to watch as they thought it held too much violence and far too many scantily-clad women. That was what made it awesome, in Piers' opinion. Some of the moves the characters used on each other provided him with ideas for how next to pummel Potter, while the scantily-clad women were a forbidden fruit he could only have while at Dudley's.


	52. Being Ready

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Hufflepuff MC;  
Prompt: Melancholy (auction); Prosper (365 words); Hugging a soft toy (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 430  
Warning: Underlying theme of depression

* * *

Hannah sat in the Hufflepuff Common Room and stared into the embers of the fire. She clutched the large stuffed llama that had been her companion for most of her life tightly in her hands as she sat with her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees; the llama provided cushioning between the tight grip of her arms and her legs.

She didn't know why she was here really. She just knew that there was so much in life she wanted and wasn't 'ready' for yet. She was almost thirteen! How much older did she have to be? The pressure was starting to mount to become a productive member of society and prosper. The golden glow from her younger years was fading and now all that was left was a vague feeling of urgency and an overwhelming amount of melancholy.

It was almost as though her brain had disappeared. Sure, she'd had terrible Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers for the past two years, but that didn't explain why she was suddenly struggling so much with the school work for the year. Time seemed to vanish underneath her feet. Hours were spent in the library to catch up on the hours that had sped by as she worried and ignored the worry by spending time with her friends.

In two years, she would face her OWLs and there was already talk of preparing for them. Hannah sighed and let herself fall to the side so that was laying on the couch in the foetal position as opposed to sitting. The llama was clutched tighter and she felt the sudden burning in her eyes that signified tears.

The tears were the worst. There was no reason to cry and yet here she was, the third night in a row staring at a dying fire and fighting back tears. She could push them away during the day, but once night fell and it was just her in the common room, they came relentlessly. She just wanted to hide away underground but that meant no more Hogwarts. Hiding meant no more Susan, or any of her other friends. She couldn't hide.

Hannah somehow curled up tighter and buried her head in the softness of her llama, hiding from the world in the only way she allowed herself to. She would get through this. Maybe when she was older and 'ready' it would all make sense; by the time she was 'ready', she would know what all the rules of reaching that point allowed. That was all she could hope for.


	53. Blurred Flashes

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC (x2)  
Prompts: Disability AU (auction); A battle (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 464  
Note: Tracey has a condition called retinitis pigmentosa (commonly shortened to rp) in this fic which means the rods in her eyes are slowly detaching and will eventually result in tunnel vision, followed by full blindness. Her experience shown here is basically my own but in a battle instead of a festival of light.

* * *

Lights flashed all around her. In the darkness of night, the flares of light burst in Tracey's vision and washed everything else out. She couldn't see the figures casting the light, she couldn't identify if someone was friend or foe, or even if someone was nearby. She flinched as yet another flash streaked across her vision.

She had planned to come and help her fellow students, but this was worse than she had ever imagined. Sure, she had some trouble seeing in the dark, and she often tripped over things a lot because she didn't see them. But she hadn't thought her stupid eyesight would stop her from truly taking a part in the battle raging across Hogwarts that night.

She couldn't focus on _anything_. It was all a blur that was in front of her eyes but her eyes weren't processing it. It was as if she was blind, but still able to see. Her eyes were locked ahead as if not looking to the left or right would help with the overload of information streaming through her eyes and into her brain.

Someone skidded to a halt in front of her and she could just make out the pale sheen of Daphne's hair intertwining with the rest of the lights. Daphne's shadow fell over her and Tracey squinted to try and adjust.

"Tracey, what are you doing? Are you okay?"

"I wanted to help!" Tracey shouted over the noise. She waved her arms towards the blur in front of her that she couldn't make define itself. "But the light…it hurts and I can't see, Daph!"

Daphne shifted and Tracey felt arms wrap around her, a guiding hand settling on her hip. "I got you, Trace, just look down and we'll get somewhere safe, okay?"

"I want to help," Tracey said again. She _did_ want to help. She wanted to fight for Hogwarts like Daphne was doing.

Daphne shot out a blast of blue from her wand and Tracey flinched as it crossed her vision. "You will," Daphne assured. "We have people in the Great Hall that need to be looked after. There's no spell light in there, you should be fine."

Tracey nodded and kept her eyes down, still flinching at each burst that came close. Her world had narrowed to the small bubble around her and Daphne. She couldn't hear the battle that raged around them, couldn't see anything but the brilliant flashes of light that seared her eyes.

She didn't know how much help she'd be to the people in the Great Hall, she'd probably end up being one of the ones who needed help as opposed to doing the helping. But she had to try. If she couldn't fight, she'd heal, and no amount of blindness would stop her.


	54. Closets and Conspiracies

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; SF; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x6); Bow Before the Blacks  
Representations: Lily Evans; Various Gryffindor OCs; Tress likes innuendos  
Bonus Challenges: Fizzy Lemonade; Chorus (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Locked in a room together (auction; Insane Prompts); Captive (365 words)  
Word count: 363

* * *

Remus and Sirius were walking to dinner when Lily came up between them and looped her arms around their shoulders. She grinned at them; in the way one did when they were about to do something mischievous.

"Sorry about this, boys, but Tress is going broke because of you two." With that, she slipped out and left a thin, golden cord wrapped around their wrists and tying them together.

Another Gryffindor girl came up to them—Flanders—and pushed them hard into the broom closet that yet another girl—this time it was Heron—was holding open. Heron slammed the door shut as soon as they were inside and the three girls all chanted a specific locking charm that Heron had found for this very moment.

They hi-fived each other and giggled at the banging they would hear as the two boys tried to open the door.

"Evans! What are you doing?" came Remus' voice.

It was Tress that answered, having been hiding around the corner to watch the action. "It's time for you lot to make me some money instead of making me lose it! Start polishing already!"

There was fierce whispering behind the door as the boys consulted and tried to avoid each other's eyes. Both of them thought the other didn't return their feelings and they tried to apologise for the girls' antics while also not revealing their emotions too much.

On the other side, all of the girls rolled their eyes and Heron fished out a book from her pocket. The girl leaned against the wall next to the door and started reading with a leg propped up on the wall. She waved off the other girls, it was currently her shift to make sure they didn't kill each other as opposed to becoming bunnies as Tress wanted them to.

Tress cast a longing look at the closed door, as did Flanders; both of them wanted to be there when the two knuckleheads figured it out. Lily tugged them away and Heron glared at them. Keeping an ear out for any distressing sounds from the captive boys, she turned her attention to her book and settled in to wait.


	55. Contesting the Uncontested

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; BAON; FPC; SS  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon; Gryffindor MC (x7)  
Representations: Ginny Weasley; Ron Weasley; The Weasley Family  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompts: Ginny Weasley (auction); Winning at chess (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 667

* * *

Ginny stared fiercely at the board in front of her. For all her life she had been playing against her brothers and had never won without them letting her or another one coming up to help. This time, she would win all by herself. Ron sat across from her, also examining the board and searching for possible moves.

Ron was the uncontested champion when it came to chess within the Weasley family. Once he had gotten a hang of the game, the rest of their family struggled to defeat him one on one. Fred and George often presented the argument that they were twins and should thus be allowed to play as a team against their younger brother.

Percy was serious competition for Ron but was often stuck up in his room now, writing reports about the depth of cauldron bottoms and other dry subjects. Ginny was determined to win. Even if she only managed it once. If she could win a game of chess against Ron without any aid from others, she would be a legend in the Weasley annals.

Suddenly, she saw a path. She followed it along all the possible branches and decided it was worth a shot. Everything else held an almost concrete certainty that she would face checkmate; this one had potential. Hiding her excitement and nerves behind the blank face she had learned from living in such a big family that was curious about everything, Ginny made her move.

Ron stroked his chin and looked over the board, adding the new positions to his mind and most likely selecting or editing a plan. When he made one of the moves that led to Ginny checkmating _him_, Ginny had to stop herself from bouncing excitedly. Her bishop moved on her command and Ron replied with the knight as she had predicted he would.

Not letting her pride show just in case she was wrong, Ginny ordered the vital pawn into position and waited with bated breath. Ron stared at the board in utter shock. His eyes flicked from place to place, trying to accept what had once been impossible.

"How…" he breathed out and Ginny squealed.

She jumped up and ran halfway up the stairs before yelling out, "I beat Ron at chess!"

Thumps sounded all around, above, and below her as the family heard her call and scrambled to get verification that they had heard what they thought they had. Charlie was the first to arrive, still holding a creature book in his hands.

"What did you say, Gin?"

"I beat him! I beat Ron!"

"You did not!" came a stunned voice from behind Charlie.

"If anyone could do it, it would be Ginny, Gred," was the reply.

"How did you manage it?" asked Percy, not even upset that his work had been interrupted by their loud family.

"Oh, well done, Ginny. Let's see it then." Her mum spoke the wish that was probably revolving around her brothers' minds as well.

She whirled around and clattered down the stairs, the family following. Ron was still sitting at the chess board, staring at the pieces as he tried to find a way out. The family clustered around the table and gave their own opinions.

"She's really got you, hasn't she, Ronnie?"

"Nice work, Gin!"

"We've got to Floo Dad and Bill, this is _huge_."

Finally, Ron nodded and sank back into his chair. "She did it. She really did it."

Ginny wrapped her arms around him and asked, slightly scared of the answer, "You don't hate me, do you?"

Ron stood up so quickly, he almost made the chair topple over and swept her into a full hug. "Never," he declared. "That was _amazing_."

Ginny smiled in relief and returned the hug. Soon enough, the remaining Weasley family members joined in and it became a group hug with Ron and Ginny in the centre. There were times Ginny hated her family; this was one of the times she really, _really, _loved them.


	56. Definitely not Scared Nope

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Malcolm (auction); Haunt (365 words); Haunted house (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 472  
Warning: Bullying references; ghosts

* * *

Malcolm dumped his bag next to the door and stared around at his new place. He had gotten it at a ridiculously cheap price and, if he believed the lawyer who had helped finalise the settlement, would be sharing it with a ghost. Of course, Malcolm didn't believe the lawyer's statements that people had been scared away by a ghost and had bought the place without letting the legend worry him.

He wasn't a pansy, and if anyone thought they would haunt him out of his own home, they would soon find out why that was a bad idea. Besides, the kid who was rumoured to be haunting the place had been a scrawny thing and Malcolm would have no problems dealing with him. He'd gotten practice at doing just that with kids similar to him when he was younger and running with Dudley Dursley.

The front door slammed shut behind him and Malcolm jumped in spite of himself. He quickly shook himself to get rid of the feeling of eyes on him and picked up the backpack again. It was the emptiness of the house, and the night outside that was making him jumpy, that was all. Malcolm didn't believe in ghosts.

He resolutely did not turn on all of the lights as he made his way to the master bedroom. Just the ones that he needed. Which happened to be all the ones he encountered on his journey. And he didn't turn them off again. Looking back at the trail of bright light behind him before he entered the bedroom, Malcolm scoffed at himself. He _was not_ afraid.

When he stepped into the darkened and shadowy bedroom and saw a slight figure flickering in and out of view, he let out a small shriek and slammed the door shut, retreating to the well-lit hallway. He backed up to the other side of the narrow corridor and stared at the door, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.

Eventually, his heart stopped trying to beat its way out of his chest and he regained control over his breathing. Cautiously, he opened the bedroom door and peered around. He couldn't see anything weird, so he crept one hand into the room and felt for the light switch. There was nothing in the room except for a bed and a cupboard.

"Stupid," he muttered to himself and faux-confidently made his way into the room.

Although he was sure it was just his imagination, he did check under the bed and in the wardrobe for any ghosts or ghost-like things. When he was sure there was nothing, he grabbed his night gear and moved to the bathroom to get ready for bed. All that night he kept repeating the same mantra over and over again. _There was no ghost and he was not afraid._


	57. Duty Binds, Marks Enslave

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Bow Before the Blacks; Slytherin MC  
Prompts: Regulus Black (auction); Homicidal (365 words); Black family (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 344

* * *

Regulus didn't move as the Dark Lord paced in front of the small cluster of homicidal purebloods. The man was talking about his grand plans and how they would make the world a better place. Regulus couldn't help but imagine what his brother would say if he was forced to listen to the man. Probably something about how he should really think of changing the colour scheme in the room and his robes.

The theme in both was black and green. Sirius hated both of those colours for what they meant to him. Black was their family name, a colour they were supposed to honour in all of their clothing choices but linked back to a family Sirius detested. Green was Slytherin and Sirius had shown his distaste for the House when he had become the first Black in recorded history to go into the house of red and gold.

An elbow shoved itself into his side and Regulus realised the other initiates were moving forward. He quickly joined them, pushing memories of Sirius away for the moment. This night wasn't about Regulus or Sirius. It was about the Dark Lord and the _cause_. Regulus was now the only child of the main line of Blacks. It was his duty to uphold the Family name.

If he stepped out of line, they wouldn't be so merciful as to merely strike him from the Family. His fate would be much worse because there was no backup heir for their branch and the Head title would move to another if he was disowned. He knelt before the Dark Lord as these thoughts circled around his brain. This was his duty.

As he felt the brand being burned into his skin and soul, Regulus suppressed a shudder. This was only the beginning, he knew. The mark would be faint until he proved himself worthy of being a Death Eater and only then would he truly join the ranks of the Dark Lord's servants. Only after he had performed unspeakable horrors would the Dark Lord accept him wholly.


	58. France Doesn't Have You

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC  
Prompts: Fleur Delacour/Charlie Weasley (auction); Charlie Weasley (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 313

* * *

Bindi backed up and roared out in warning. Flames still sparked on the rocks where her fiery breath had landed instead of on the people who were trying to help. There was an answering screech from behind the rock and a woman with long, flowing white hair flew up and hovered in front of the dragon, her white wings carrying her easily.

The woman's face was contorted into one with bird-like features and she screeched again as fire gathered in her palms. Bindi thrashed her tail and blew flame to the right of the woman. The dragon was panicking, but still held enough reason to know that the humans were not her enemy. A flame ball burst in front of Bindi as the flying woman kept her from moving forwards.

They were locked in a stalemate that would only be broken when Charlie returned. He did so a few minutes later, hurrying as carefully as he could as he cradled the large egg in his arms. Bindi calmed down immediately upon seeing it, though her tail still flicked from side to side anxiously as she watched the male carry her offspring.

Charlie held the egg out in front of him as he cautiously approached Bindi, Fleur hovering behind him in case he needed quick assistance. Bindi clasped her egg in her talons and carefully removed it from the male's grasp before moving back to her nest and curling up around the egg and its companions.

Fleur sank down to the ground and returned to her normal visage. "Well that was fun," she remarked.

Charlie laughed. "Remind me again why you decided to come to Romania instead of returning to France and living a relatively peaceful life?"

"Peaceful is far too boring," Fleur responded. She kissed Charlie on the cheek before moving away in the direction of the camp. "Besides, France doesn't have you."


	59. Make a Move

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC  
Prompts: Scorpius Malfoy (auction); Oprah Winfrey quote (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 339

* * *

"Man, what is _wrong _with you?"

Scorpius glared at the speaker. "What are you, my wingman or something?"

"Yes," was the snippy reply. "You gotta make a move, Scorp. I've been watching you two and the signals are clear to anyone who just opens their eyes."

"Shut up."

The small dragon sighed and lay her head down on Scorpius' chest. "I am in your corner here, Scorpius, but you have _got_ to say something. Otherwise this constant cycle of not asking will continue for the rest of your lives."

"I'm not good enough, Cam," Scorpius said with a sigh. He sat up and stared at his reflection in the mirror across from his bed. "Sure, I'm a Malfoy, but what does that even mean now?"

"Your grandfather would say that being a Malfoy meant the world was at your feet," Camilla pointed out.

"My grandfather lives in the old days where that was true. And Father's no better, he's so busy trying to get the prestige of the family back and attempting to forget Mother. Which is stupid, nobody could forget her."

Camilla hummed. "And what would your mother say to you if she was here?"

"Probably that I was being a blockhead, like you are," Scorpius said with self-deprecating huff.

"Precisely. So, tomorrow, you will make a move and try not to be afraid."

"Can I do it next week?" Scorpius asked, flattening down his fringe in nervousness.

Camilla bumped her head into the boy's cheek. "Of course, just make you sure you do it. OWLs are coming up and if you don't have a study partner, you'll be screwed."

"I know." Scorpius let himself fall back on the bed, Camilla moving quickly to avoid being crushed. "She's just so smart, I won't be bringing anything to the table except questions."

"There's nothing wrong with asking questions. Sometimes it's the dream of someone wise to teach someone who asks questions and expands their own horizons."

"Okay." Scorpius stared up at the ceiling determinedly. "I'll ask her next week."


	60. Metal Manipulation

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Shuri (auction); Pillow (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 380  
Fandom: Black Panther

* * *

The molten metal floated above her head as she watched it twist and come together in different shapes. The room was full of shelves holding various products of the earth and she could manipulate all of them. The platinum was her favourite though. It was just the right kind of shimmery smoothness she needed to calm down.

There was a knock on her door and Shuri sighed, letting the platinum solidify and return to its place on the bookshelf. When she shouted permission, her brother stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it and watched her.

"I would tell you he's an idiot, but I know you already know that," he said finally.

Shuri groaned and flipped over so that her face was buried in her pillow. "That doesn't make it better."

"You can always ask Father."

She moved her head so that she could glare at her brother. "If I have to ask Father to let me work in the labs, then I'm clearly not good enough by myself, T'Challa."

"You are though. Everyone knows that."

"Do they? All they know is that I can manipulate everything that comes from earth. They don't think I know anything about tech. After all, tech and earth don't mix."

T'Challa frowned. "But you're always inventing stuff."

"Stuff that's for the family and never sees the light of day otherwise. I don't go out and shout my abilities like some people I can name. They should speak for themselves and _they would_ if I could just start working in the labs. Start doing things that actually _help_."

"Break in," T'Challa suggested. "Leave them a gift so they know what you're capable of."

Shuri scoffed. "Yeah, right, like Dad's going to approve of that."

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission. And if you want to ask for permission, I hereby grant it to you."

Shuri's mind was already whirling with plans but she hummed and shoved her head back into the pillow. "I'll think about it," she said, her voice muffled. T'Challa left her alone to her evil plans and went back to doing whatever fire wielders did in their spare time (probably watch funny videos online, in her brother's case; he was obsessed with the cat ones).


	61. Nightmarish Dream

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War; SN  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Representations: Past abuse  
Prompts: "I love you, why is that so hard to believe?" / "Because I never thought anyone would." (auction); Knowledge (365 words); Caring (Insane Prompts); Write about someone sincere or honest (Wandlore; Task 4)  
Word count: 565  
Warning: References to past abuse

* * *

Helga ducked into a side passage when she saw the flash of green robes ahead. Just a few days ago, she would have smiled and greeted her friend, but now the sight of him filled her with conflicting emotions. She wanted to believe him so badly. Salazar had never lied before, not even when his views on certain topics were frowned upon by his companions.

But the reality of what he said didn't seem true to Helga. Not once had she had anyone express such care for her. Her parents had seen her as a burden that helped out in the herb garden and doing various duties at first, and then as a child of evil when she started showing signs of magic. Not that Helga had known it was magic back then, just that it didn't feel evil in the least and that she loved using it.

The villagers around her had taken upon themselves Helga's parents views of her and Helga had gotten used to being a useful but distasteful commodity. And yet there was Salazar, who had declared his strangely positive emotions towards her earnestly. While Helga knew they were friends, she hadn't thought of her love being returned to her. Not by any of the other Founders, and certainly not Salazar. It was a dream and a nightmare all at once.

Dream because she had often wished for this exact scenario. Nightmare because she couldn't believe its truthfulness despite the person who spoke the words. She stiffened as she heard the distinctive footsteps approach from behind and stared single-mindedly out of the window to the grounds.

"Helga." Salazar's voice was soft, and Helga had to close her eyes as she battled between hard-earned knowledge and her own wishes. "Why must you run from me?"

Helga opened her mouth and found herself unable to speak. She gripped the windowsill tighter and forced words out. "You present a conundrum I find myself unable to solve," was the steely response that emerged.

There could be no emotion in her speech. If she let out her feelings, they would drown her. Salazar stepped up beside her and stared out at the sky. He left room between them and Helga could only be grateful for that.

"I love you." Salazar, as ever, was honest in his emotions and it made Helga both want to hug him and strangle him. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because I never thought anyone would." The words were whispered out before Helga could stop them. They were all too true, all too heartfelt, and told of the life she tried to ignore and keep in the past.

Her honesty seemed to take Salazar aback for a few moments. Or perhaps it was the words that honesty had brought out. Eventually, he placed his hand palm up on the windowsill in offering, not looking away from the sky. She hesitantly let her own hand rest in the proffered position and saw the small smile the movement gave Salazar out of the corner of her eye.

"I will tell you every day if that is what it takes for you to believe me."

Helga didn't reply. She rather thought that it might actually take Salazar telling her every day to get her to truly believe it as fact. Instead, she curled her fingers tighter around Salazar's and watched the sun set.


	62. Tending to Strangers (and a bar)

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Nymphadora Tonks/Bill Weasley (auction); Liquor (365 words); Bartender AU (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 371

* * *

The old woman hobbled up to the bar and lifted herself onto one of the raised bar stools. She sighed heavily, placed her elbows on the wooden bar and rested her head in her hands. A small clink of a glass being placed in front of her made her lift her head up slightly. The red-headed bartender smiled kindly at her and she slumped back down, this time with a forearm cushioning her head and her left hand fiddling with the glass.

"Another successful date?" the bartender asked.

She nodded, sat up, and drained the shot glass. "Someone's got to do it. Hit me again, Bill."

Bill refilled the glass with liquor and she tossed it back just as quickly as she had the first one. With a groan, she pulled off the grey wig and accepted the wipe Bill had ready for her. In a few minutes, the old woman was gone and the person sitting on the bar stool was a young adult with bright pink hair and a mischievous smile.

"Besides, the pay's amazing."

Bill shook his head ruefully and started mixing up a martini. "And here I thought you kept doing this so you had a reason to come back," he jested.

"That's certainly a perk," Tonks agreed, accepting the now-made martini and curling her fingers around the base of the glass. "Alcohol, protecting people from dangerous strangers, and a hot bartender are some of my favourite things."

"Well I can help you with one of those things. As for the other two, I don't know."

Tonks flicked a peanut from the nearby dish at him. "You know very well that you're the hottest thing in here, Mr. William Weasley."

"And you know not to call me that, Miss Nymphadora Tonks," Bill replied, flicking the peanut back at her.

Tonks made a face and conceded. She pulled out her phone and let her client know that their daughter had been the target of a catfish and been catfished in return, receiving their profuse thanks for stepping in within moments. For the rest of Bill's shift, she sipped her drink (and the following ones, both alcoholic and non) and watched as her boyfriend moved about behind the bar.


	63. The Price

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompts: Writing a letter (auction); Upset (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 325

* * *

The chamber was lit only by the crackling fire the man sat next to. In front of the fire lay a large snake, soaking up the warmth from the flames. The scratching of a quill filled the room at intervals, stopping for several long moments before starting again. This was one of the hardest things he had ever had to write, and he wished he didn't have to.

He loved Helga with all of his heart and knew that she returned the sentiment. He also knew that it would destroy her to walk away from the school they had built and the children residing in its walls. Even knowing how much she would hate him for it, he was taking the decision away from her. The problems stemmed from Godric and him. Helga could remain and continue doing what she loved. Just without him.

Suddenly gripped by a surge of anger and despair, Salazar threw his quill away and the force of the throw (along with a small amount of agitated magic) drove the sharp point into the soft cushion of the chair across from him. Helga's chair. He stared at the quivering quill for a moment before feeling his eyes well up with nonsensical tears. By dawn the next day, he would destroy Helga's life as she knew it and now he had attacked her chair as well.

He dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to rid his mind of the quill sticking out of one of Helga's cushions and staining it with ink. Aurora wound her way up his leg and onto his lap, providing comfort even if she didn't quite understand why he was so distressed. Salazar sighed and held up the half-written letter to his eyes. A few more lines and it would be complete; a few more lines and his heart would be split in two forever.

That was the price he had to pay.


	64. Time Troubles

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x2)  
Prompts: Lily Evans/Hermione Granger (auction); Fiery (365 words); Time Turner (Insane Prompts)  
Word count: 876

* * *

Hermione woke up in the library. That wasn't unusual for her currently, she spent most of her time and more than usually allocated to a person in the library. She noticed that the lights were all out and sighed. She'd probably need to go back and head to bed before anyone started worrying about her. She fished her time turner out from where it was hidden by her shirt and frowned when she noticed the sand inside had been depleted.

That in itself wasn't strange. What was strange, was by how _much_ the sand had gone down. A trip of a few hours would only take a few grains of the time sand. She would struggle to use all of it in six months, even with her prolific usage. Almost three-quarters of the sand was gone. What had happened? She lifted the time turner up and lit the tip of her wand with a muttered spell.

There seemed to be no cracks in the device, and she could see no other reason for the sand to have vanished. Eventually she shrugged and put the time turner back under her shirt, collected her scattered books, and made her way up to Gryffindor Tower. She would see Professor McGonagall tomorrow and ask her about the sand.

The Fat Lady gave her a strange look as she spoke the password but opened up and let her enter. Hermione figured the painting must be judging her for the late hour. When she stepped into the Common Room, she stopped in her tracks. Something was off. The tables normally in the corner that belonged to Fred, George, and Lee were now over by a window. The plush couches looked brighter even in the darkened light.

She huffed silently. She was being paranoid now. Just because sand had vanished from the time turner, it didn't mean that everything else had changed as well. Besides, the password had worked so not that much time had passed with the vanished sand. Except, when she entered her dormitory, she saw that her trunk was missing and someone else was sleeping in her bed.

Hermione froze in the entryway, holding her book bag and staring at the room as though she had never been in it before. She recognised none of the small furnishings the girls of the dormitory had placed around their beds, and the trunks were all foreign to her.

Finally, she shook her head and turned back to the Common Room. She was tired, that was all. She would sleep on one of the couches and figure it all out in the morning. Hopefully, there would be nothing _to_ figure out and it would all go back to normal when she woke up. But in a world of magic, Hermione knew that almost anything was possible and that it was unlikely this was just a very vivid dream. Something had changed in Hogwarts, and she knew it involved time.

When she woke up the next morning to see a concerned face surrounded by fiery red hair and felt the sudden surge of _yes_ from the brand upon her skin, Hermione panicked. She knew that time had changed around her now, her mark hadn't flared up for anyone in all the time she had been at school.

She sat up quickly, almost knocking heads with the girl, and lunged for her book bag that was sitting on the floor. The girl watched her in confusion and a bit of worry, with an added dash of the same _yes_ that Hermione felt.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Hermione nodded and was about to answer when another girl came down from the dormitories and complained, "Evans, why do you always insist we get up so early?"

_Evans. Lily Evans_. Hermione slung the book bag over her shoulder and made a mad dash for the portrait hole. She _would not_ accept being Lily Evans' soulmate. If she did, Harry would never be born. Without Harry, Hermione wouldn't have friends at Hogwarts, she would be _dead_ if weren't for Harry and Ron coming to save her from the troll in their first year. She made a frantic beeline for Hagrid's hut; even if the groundskeeper didn't know her, he should help her. Hagrid was that kind of person.

At the very least, his home could provide a hiding place while Hermione figured out what to do and how to get back to her own time. It would take several months for the time turner to regain the amount of sand she would need for a jump spanning so many years. Plus, she needed to figure out _how_ to jump that far with a time turner that was only supposed to function in hours.

She banged on Hagrid's door and sighed in relief as the familiar face appeared in the opening doorway. "You don't know me," she said breathlessly, "but I need your help."

Hagrid ushered her in and she almost burst out crying when he offered her a rock cake. Even years in the past, Hagrid was always ready to help out. She was so glad he was there that she even accepted the snack that she knew would be as hard as its namesake and inedible.


	65. A Wolf in the Night

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x2)  
Prompt: Red Riding Hood  
Word count: 315

* * *

Remus frowned as he caught the glimpse of red robes flitting around the corner of the corridor. There wasn't supposed to be anyone out at this time, the curfew had passed almost an hour ago. He was only out of bed due to his patrolling duties as a prefect. He sped up his pace in order to catch whoever it was that outside where they shouldn't be.

"James?" he asked when he saw who it was.

James whirled around, red Quidditch robes flaring around him as he turned. "Remus! What are you doing out here?"

"It is my job, James. I'm a prefect," Remus replied drily. "The better question, is why are _you_ out here?"

James gestured with his hands, bringing Remus' attention to the broomstick that he was holding. "I lost track of time, had to practice my flying so that the cap doesn't try and kill me during the next game."

"You do realise flying is forbidden at night, yes?"

"You going to report me, big bad prefect?"

Remus wanted to. It was what was expected of him, his duty that had been assigned along with the prefect badge. It was also James. James who somehow accepted he was a werewolf and became an Animagus along with Sirius and Peter to keep Remus company.

He sighed. "Not this time, James. But if I catch you out of bounds again, I will."

"Be a bit hard to do that," James said with a wink. "You'll be all furry and incapable of speech."

Remus glared, using the glare that the other Marauders often called his 'angry wolf' glare and tended to back away from when he brought it out. Considering it was only a few days until the full moon and his transformation, it was no surprise that James looked instantly apologetic.

"Get back to the tower," Remus growled out and James hurried to obey.


	66. Extended Time

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; BAON; FPC  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux (Y); Lovely Triangle; Ravenclaw MC; Gryffindor MC (x2)  
Representations: Luna Lovegood; Lunar Heroes plus Teddy  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Second Verse (Not a Lamp)  
Prompt: Time Slip  
Word count: 335

* * *

Luna looked to the sky and saw the small ripple that signified a change about to happen. She turned back to her family and let a small smile cross her face as watched Harry and Neville play with Teddy. She wondered when she would see them again. With slow steps, she made her way down the small sloped hill and to the three below.

They all looked at her and Teddy ran into her arms when he saw her expression. "You're leaving again?" he asked quietly.

"I'm afraid so." Luna kissed the side of Teddy's head as she lifted him up and hugged him.

Harry and Neville came up and enveloped the two of them in a group hug. It was a tradition that always happened when Luna got called by the streams of time. She had done it many times, with young and old versions of her family.

Feeling the tug of time grow stronger, she quickly handed Teddy to Neville, giving the boy another kiss on the cheek as Neville held him. She then kissed Neville and Harry before stepping back and stopped resisting the pull of time. It wrapped around her, dragging her into the vortex and into another time.

The sad but accepting faces of her family followed her through the journey. When she arrived, she was greeted by Harry. He smiled softly when he saw her.

"Hello, Luna."

"Harry. What is wrong?" She knew something was wrong. He was too still for there to not be.

Harry sighed and handed over a calendar. Luna took it curiously. It showed the date as being two-hundred years past the last time she had seen him. He was too young for so much time to have passed. She had seen him older.

"I died. And then Death sent me back young again."

Luna sat down next to him on the grass and wrapped her arm around him. "It's not much, but I'm here. As long as I can be, I'll stay with you."


	67. Haunted

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC  
Prompt: Holding them in bed  
Word count: 355

* * *

The night was quiet around them; the moon the only illumination the room received in the dark of night. Two people lay in the bed resting to one side of the room, one curled around the other as they slept. It was a peaceful scene, one conducive to sleep and yet sleep did not come. Eyes stared into the dimly lit room as sleep evaded the owner.

Viktor's eyes flitted from corner to corner, ensuring that everything was as it should be. Hermione slept soundly behind him and he wished he could let the comforting feeling of her arms wrapped around coax him to sleep. But there were too many things rolling around in his mind.

It had been a bad day. One full of memories from years ago and his first visit to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had thought he was prepared to go through the Triwizard Tournament back then. He hadn't known that there would be a Death Eater taking control of his mind and forcing him to torture his fellow competitors.

He hadn't thought anyone would die during the tournament, had in fact been assured there was no possibility of that happening due to new safety measures. When little Harry Potter had been chosen, he had thought there was a higher risk of injury, but not of death. And it wasn't even Harry who had died, but Cedric Diggory. Viktor hadn't known Cedric very well, but he had been a good wizard and person by anyone's standards.

The young face of someone almost identical to the Hufflepuff had been the start of Viktor's bad day and it had gone downhill from there. He had seen the tournament everywhere he looked. Now, in the darkness of the bedroom, Viktor couldn't help but see the nightmares happening again and again.

He shivered slightly and turned around, pulling Hermione closer to him and hoping her warmth would help chase the shadows away. She stirred just enough to place a sleepy kiss on his shoulder and tighten her grip. Leaving the nightmares behind him and protected by Hermione, Viktor finally slipped into sleep.


	68. Obsidian

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Ethnic and Present; Gryffindor MC (x2)  
Prompt: Black  
Word count: 315

* * *

All she could see was black. There were the black trees, the black grass, her own black skin and robes. At the centre of it all was the large black stone towering above the landscape. The obsidian glinted as an unseen light hit it. The stone seemed to be laughing at her as it ruled over its subjects of the trees and grass. She backed up, wanting to run and hide but knowing there was nowhere she could go that would be safe.

A hand gripped her forearm and she whirled around to see Alicia's panicked face staring back at her. "Run," Alicia ordered.

The other girl pulled her along and Angelina found herself racing across the black grass faster than she had ever flown on a broom. Behind them, the obsidian seemed to grow, its shadow stretching out over them and beyond. They didn't stop running.

As she ran, Angelina tried desperately to recall where they were and why they were there. She wracked her brain as her feet pounded on the black earth and carried her farther away from the looming stone. Was it all in her head? Was this place entirely real or was it created by some spell going askew?

Angelina didn't know. If she had known at one point, the knowledge had long since left her mind. All she knew was that she had to keep running. Alicia's grip was tight on her wrist as they both charged forwards with no destination other than _away _as their goal. When Angelina cast a fearful look behind her, all she could see was the obsidian. The trees and everything below them had been swallowed up by the might of the obsidian.

She turned her attention back ahead and pushed herself harder, pulling Alicia along with her. If they didn't escape wherever they were, she knew the obsidian would swallow them up too.


	69. Perfect Choice

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x2)  
Prompt: Harry Potter/Hermione Granger  
Word count: 353

* * *

Harry walked away slowly after Professor McGonagall told him he had to attend the Yule Ball _and_ bring a date to dance with. He didn't know how to dance, but that was fairly okay as most of the other boys didn't either and McGonagall was giving lessons to all the Gryffindors. It was the date part that really worried him.

He really only knew a few girls well enough to ask them. His small crush on Cho would go nowhere while she was with Cedric and that was fine. Harry liked Cedric and thought he and Cho were good together. Then there was Ginny, but Ginny was Ron's little sister and that was just _weird_. The girls on the Quidditch team were all vaguely intimidating and he had the feeling they looked at him as a younger brother.

That left Hermione. He stopped as the thought struck him. _Hermione_. Hermione would be a perfect date for the Yule Ball. She already knew him and he was comfortable around her. She would also understand if he spaced out a few times during the ball, having already witnessed him vanishing mentally from situations when they got too overloading.

Yes, Hermione would be perfect. He grinned and started towards the library. She was bound to be there, probably researching things for him to use in the Triwizard Tournament. She was determined to help him as much as possible, even if that meant spending her days cooped up in the library and ignoring the wheedling of both him and Ron as they tried to get her to take a break and go outside.

He clattered into the library, slowing his pace as he received a glare from Madam Pince, and started looking around for his friend. He found her tucked away in a corner with her focus completely on the book in front of her. Harry slid into a seat opposite her and nudged her foot. She blinked and looked up at him, smiling when she realised who had interrupted her.

Harry took a deep breath and asked, "Would you like to go to ball with me?"


	70. Bad, Bad News

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC (x4)  
Prompt: Neville Longbottom  
Word count: 365

* * *

Neville watched the scene playing out in front of him in disgust. Ron and Lavender were fawning all over each other in the Gryffindor Common Room without worrying about the other people in the room. The rest of the students currently in the room seemed determined to ignore the two or were looking on in horrified fascination.

In one corner sat Harry and Hermione, both of them huddled over a book and turned away from the scene. Neville felt his heart go out to Hermione. He knew that the other Gryffindor had feelings for the redhead who was currently sharing saliva with Brown in full view of everyone.

If anyone asked him, Neville could tell them that Lavender Brown was bad news. Especially to Ron. If she didn't ruin his life with rumours and break his heart by making him get attached and then leaving, Hermione would end up snapping and let out her frustrations on or around the boy that was unknowingly causing her heartache.

But Ron was whipped like the cream on a cake and wouldn't listen to a single bad word about his new girlfriend. He had abandoned his other friends, even though previously it had taken his explosive temper to drag him away from Harry and Hermione. The boy had done a one-eighty and was blind as a bat with no eyes when it came to the emotions of others.

Those who weren't Lavender were being treated like a platter of burnt ends, something that even Ron wouldn't eat with gusto. Lavender jumped off the couch and pulled Ron out of the Common Room, giggling, and Neville watched them go. He flicked his eyes back to the corner and saw Hermione watching them leave as well.

Neville wished he could knock some sense into Ron but while they shared most classes together and even shared the same dorm, Neville was closer to Hermione than he was Ron. Still, maybe he could try and steer late night conversation as the boys got ready for bed to Lavender and the fact that she really was bad news for Ron. Looking at Hermione's heartbroken face, he decided it was at least worth a shot.


	71. Mutually Beneficial

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompt: Beheading  
Word count: 344  
Warning: Consensual Murder, Super dark

* * *

The young elf walked behind his mother and listened eagerly to her story. She was telling him about the heads lining the halls of the house of Black. All of them were of his ancestors, and all of them had served the Black family well. Because of their service, the Black's had honoured them by beheading and immortalising their memory by mounting them on pikes in the house they served.

The tradition had started when a Black Lord had become irate with one of his elves and beheaded him. He had then left the head of the elf on a pike on full display to warn the others of angering him. Along the way, the act had become an honour. Even after they had died, the elves would still be able to watch over their charge.

It was the house-elves duty to go to the Head of Family Black when they were approaching the end of their lifespan and request the ritual be performed. It aided the insanity and thirst for blood stored in the Black blood calm and gave the house-elves a quick death and the knowledge they would never be given clothes.

* * *

Kreacher watched as his mother made her way to the Lord Black's room. He knew she was going there to ask for death; she had been weak as of late and unable to perform her duties as well as she had once done. Kreacher crept silently to the door and peered around the small crack left by the slightly ajar door.

Lord Black lifted his wand and slashed it in a diagonal line. The elf in front of him collapsed, her head rolling away from her body. Lord Black took a pike from the storage cupboard, picked up the head, and stabbed it down. A wave of the wand had the dripping blood drying and the head preserved. Kreacher smiled slightly, he was glad that his mother had been granted this wish by the Lord Black. He hoped one day he would be able to join her and his ancestors.


	72. Classroom Picnic

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Ravenclaw MC; Hufflepuff MC  
Prompt: Hopeless romantic trait  
Word count: 323

* * *

Cedric couldn't hold in the smile as he walked along the corridor to his and Cho's meeting spot. Cho was an amazing person and she had agreed to go out with Cedric a few months ago. Cedric felt like he was floating in the air without the aid of a broomstick. Cho Chang was a fierce Seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, beautiful, and had a wonderous personality on top of it all.

All of the giddy emotions he had read about in the secret romance novels hidden under his bed, he was now feeling. His father would probably tell him not to get so lost in a relationship, but Cedric paid no heed to the mental voice of Amos Diggory reprimanding him. He had almost graduated from Hogwarts and if he couldn't get lost in a relationship now, when could he?

He opened the door to the classroom that had become _theirs_ and grinned when he saw Cho was already there. He went over to her and swept her up in his arms, whirling around as she shrieked in laughter. When they came to a halt, he placed her back on the ground and rested his forehead on hers.

How his father could ever tell him to give this up, he had no idea. This was all of his dreams come true. Cho was the perfect girl for him and he hoped he was the perfect guy for her. Playing against someone he loved on the Quidditch Pitch made the game more fun and he enjoyed the ribbing he got from his teammates along with the Ravenclaw team immensely. It was all in good fun and they were all happy for him and Cho.

Cho pulled away from him and tugged him over to the small picnic she had set up for them. He went with her gladly and they spent a wonderful few hours enjoying each other's company and the food.


	73. Crackle of Gravel

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Slytherin MC  
Prompt: Mpreg  
Word count: 353

* * *

Harry signed the last form on his current pile with a flourish and shoved it into the bin reserved for completed files. Knowing that he had to be quick to avoid another lot of paperwork, he then jumped up and grabbed his outer cloak. He swung the cloak over his shoulders, grabbed his satchel and flew out of the Auror office as fast as his old firebolt broomstick.

He was ready to go home. He knew that the moment he heard the crackle of gravel as he walked over the stones it would bring a peace to him that didn't exist anywhere else. The Knight Bus was packed by other commuters and Harry paid for his ticket before dropping into one of the remaining free seats.

When the conductor called out the name of his stop, Harry hopped off and started the short walk to the house he shared with his husband. He crossed over the wards and onto the gravel track that crunched under his feet. Instantly, a smile crossed his face. The smile grew larger as he noticed the dark shape silhouetted at the open door.

Blaise was waiting for him. He quickened his pace and pulled Blaise in for a kiss before doing the same to Blaise's enlarged belly. Blaise laughed and pulled him inside to the warmth and comfort of their home. Two cups of tea were sitting on the kitchen bench and Harry kissed Blaise again in thanks before picking up his cup.

"I hope you got your leave," Blaise said as he sipped his own herbal tea.

Harry nodded. "Two months, with the possibility of three if we need it. I'll be here for the both of you."

"Good. Mother will be arriving next week, and I have the guest room all set up."

Blaise's mother had offered to help during the first few weeks of their child's life as they settled into being parents and the two of them had accepted the offer gratefully. While they were relatively confident they'd be able to manage by themselves, it never hurt to have an extra set of hands.


	74. Injury by Muffins

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC  
Prompt: Baking  
Word count: 320

* * *

Neville cursed as the hot tray burnt his hand. He had forgotten the oven mitts in his rush to open the oven and get the muffins out before they could burn. He wanted them to be perfect for Hannah when she arrived home, which should be any minute. He had timed it so that she would arrive back to muffins fresh from the oven and still piping hot.

Just as the last muffin was placed on the cooling rack, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock sounded and he knew Hannah was home. He quickly hid his reddened hand behind his back and smiled as she entered the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively.

"You baked muffins?" she asked when she saw him and the muffins sitting on the bench.

He nodded. "I'm not just useful in a garden."

"I never thought you were. Where did you learn how to bake?"

"Harry taught me when we were helping with the restoration of Hogwarts."

"And what did you do to your hands?" Hannah asked, noticing that he had never moved them out from behind his back and picking up on that being strange. He never could get anything past her.

He held out his hands sheepishly and she tutted over the small burns that littered them. After telling him to stay put, she vanished into the nearby bathroom and fetched a vial of essence of dittany which she then poured onto his hands. He sighed in relief as the essence took away the slight pain from the burns.

Hannah smiled at him. "Now how about we test these muffins that injured you so?" she suggested.

Neville agreed readily and flicked the kettle on for cups of tea to go with the baked goods. Hannah went to put away her work things and returned in comfortable clothes, ready to snuggle on the couch and enjoy the combination of tea, muffins, and Neville.


	75. Inked Tea

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; Shipping War  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompt: Tea  
Word count: 350

* * *

The tattoo artist looked at the image that Helga wanted him to ink into her skin. She nodded very seriously when he turned his gaze back to her to double check that it was what she wanted. It was a teapot with accompanying tea cups scattered around it. Rowena had tried to talk her out of it but Helga had ignored her friend's words. She wanted the teapot and its cups.

After it had all been confirmed, Salazar gestured her to the chair and began working on the tattoo. The stinging of the needle hardly bothered Helga; she was used to the stinging by now from all the other tattoos she had received. It took just over an hour before her arm was being wrapped up and she was being told the usual care instructions.

The hour had been very pleasant, sessions with Salazar always were. She followed him back out to the front and happily paid. She was stopped from leaving by Salazar's voice.

"I was going to ask you out for coffee one of these days," he started. "I'm thinking tea might be your preferred drink however."

She smiled, ducking her head slightly. "Tea will always win over coffee for me."

"I'll keep it in mind for when I gather enough courage."

"Or you could accept my invitation out for a cup of tea now," she returned, smirking slightly.

Salazar nodded slowly. "Or I could do that. _Founder's_? Four o'clock?"

"I'll see you there."

With that, she left the small tattoo shop and made her way home, her mind already planning what she would wear to the date she had suddenly found herself on. Not that she minded suddenly finding herself with a date with Salazar, she had been eyeing him for some time and the opportunity had been too good to miss.

She had a feeling Salazar had known she would extend her own invitation; he was sneaky like that. So now she had a tea date with her tattooist. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she pulled out her phone. She had to tell Rowena.


	76. Meeting Miss Love

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC; Ravenclaw MC  
Prompt: Single Parent AU  
Word count: 556

* * *

Harry stood waiting for Teddy to come out of the school classroom. He and Andromeda had both agreed that it would be good for Teddy to attend a Muggle school in his younger years. It gave him a foundation for later life if he decided he wanted to work in the Muggle world instead of the wizarding one.

The bell rang and children started streaming out of the classroom, each of them making beelines to their parents. Teddy was one of the last ones out, flapping a sheet of paper around as he ran to Harry.

"Dad! Dad! Look what I made!" he cried out excitedly as he approached Harry.

Harry accepted the piece of paper that was thrust into his grip by a beaming Teddy and looked at it. There was a rather crude but unmistakable picture of Hogwarts on it and Harry could only stare. How did Teddy know what Hogwarts looked like? While the boy had heard many tales of the magic school, there hadn't been enough detail within those stories for such a painting.

"This is great, Teddy. What did you use for reference?"

Teddy pointed back at the classroom. "Miss Love has a painting on the wall, and she said I could copy it."

The teacher had a painting of Hogwarts hanging in her classroom? Harry didn't recognise the name Love as belonging to any of his classmates, but it was entirely possible they had graduated before he arrived or that he just hadn't come across them. The name wasn't tugging at any hazy memories of a Sorting, but Harry had always had trouble paying attention to those.

Just then, the teacher exited the classroom and Harry let out a shocked gasp. "Luna?" he asked, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

Luna had vanished soon after the war had ended. No one had heard from her apart from her father and he wasn't telling anyone where she was. She'd needed to get away from Britain after all she'd been through and her circle of friends had understood that all too well. Now she was here, back in Britain and teaching his godson.

Teddy crinkled his nose in confusion. "Do you know Miss Love?"

"I did. She left a long time ago. I never thought I'd see her again."

Teddy made an understanding noise and then grabbed one of Harry's hands. He started tugging Harry forward and Harry instantly tried to back away. But Teddy was strong and determined, if he wanted Harry to meet Luna, Harry would meet Luna.

Luna looked up as they grew nearer and smiled at them. "I thought I might see you soon, Harry."

"You knew?" he asked, dumbfounded.

She laughed. "Of course! How many children with the Metamorphmagus skill and the name Teddy Lupin do you think exist?"

Seeing her again made Harry remember the emotions that had stopped him from returning to Ginny's side after the war. His heart was thumping at the sudden and unexpected meeting. Not wanting to let her go after she had vanished for so long, he blurted out, "Would you like to come over for dinner some time?"

Teddy bounced at his side excitedly and turned his puppy dog eyes on Luna. Luna smiled softly and nodded. "I would like that, Harry. I would like that very much."


	77. Never the End

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; BAON  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Hunter MC (x2)  
Representations: Sam Winchester; The Winchesters; Gabriel  
Bonus Challenges: Nontraditional; Found Family  
Prompt: "This is the end."  
Word count: 667  
Fandom: Supernatural

* * *

When the omens started focusing on the Palo Alto, Sam picked up the phone and dialled Dean. He'd been having strange dreams and never-ending migraines for the past few months and he knew they had something to do with the sudden surge of demon activity. He had tried to stay away from hunting as much as he could, even staying at university after Jess had been killed. He knew that the yellow-eyed demon had done it, but he wasn't going to play the demon's game.

So he stayed in his degree and attended his interview for work placement and gotten accepted. He was a normal person now, with a dead mother and girlfriend that weren't getting vengeance. The day after Jess had burned on the ceiling, Sam had moved into a different unit and marked it with every protection sigil he knew and ones he hadn't until he searched for them. His place was a fortress and his body was as marked up as his walls were.

There was no chance of a supernatural being getting to his place or him. But that didn't mean they couldn't circle the general area (outside the bounds he had marked with the more common sigils). Dean answered on the second ring and clearly knew what Sam was calling about.

"This is the end," were his first words.

Sam looked up to the sky as though he would see signs of the end that Dean described. "The end of what?"

"Yellow-eyes had a plan; we weren't the only family who had their mother burnt on the ceiling. It's all part of something bigger, Hell is trying to come topside. It's bad, Sammy."

Sam didn't even register the nickname he semi-hated. "What can I do?"

"I don't if there's anything you can do, man. This might be too big to stop."

"Where are you?"

"We're coming into Palo Alto now. Dad says we're going to the university, it's the eye of the storm."

Sam gave an affirmative and then hung up. The university was the eye of the storm because the demons couldn't get anywhere close to the campus. Sam had made sure of that when he had gone around and protected it. But them surrounding the place meant there was something, or someone, they wanted there.

Probably him. He had been warned this might happen and knew far more than he should for someone who hadn't been hunting or paying much attention to the hunter network for a year. Shrugging on his coat, Sam stepped outside his flat and was greeted by the sound of flapping wings.

Gabriel held out his hand and Sam took it. The archangel couldn't get into Sam's unit—not after he told the ex-hunter what sigils to use to keep heavenly beings out—but wasn't restricted from the general area on and around campus. It was Gabriel who had told Sam all he wanted to know about Hell's plan and explained his visions and migraines as well.

The archangel had shown up a few weeks after Jess' death (apparently sick and tired of hearing him beg in his prayers to the angel) and had stuck around ever since. He had helped fortify Sam's territory to degrees the Winchester would never have been able to achieve by himself. He had stuck around while Sam grieved and somewhere along the way had joined Sam's small family.

Gabe pulled him into a hug and then flew them to the rest of the Winchester clan and Sam braced himself for the explosion and explanation showing up with a 'monster' would cause. Thankfully, his father and Dean were too busy trying to deal with the horde of demons attacking them to care about the machine gun Sam had brought along to a pistol fight apart from being happy about it.

Sam stood with his estranged family in the golden circle Gabe had created to keep them safe as he dealt with the demons. He winked at Dean. "This isn't the end."


	78. Nothing

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash (Y); Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Slytherin MC  
Prompt: Mulan  
Word count: 324

* * *

Astoria glared after her sister. It was entirely illogical for Daphne to ban her from taking part of the battle waging outside the safety of the Slytherin Common Room. If Daphne was fighting, why could Astoria? She huffed and fell backwards on her bed; she knew why Daphne had said no but that didn't make it any better.

Sure, Astoria could get hurt, but so could Daphne. It was _war_ out there and anything was possible in war. Including the person everyone thought being on one side actually being on another. There was an almost even split between the Slytherin's who were fighting for the Dark Lord and for Harry Potter.

She glared upwards at the ceiling and the small dot of red paint she had somehow gotten up there during a painting session and never bothered to clean. The paint sparked an idea in her. If she wasn't _her_, Daphne wouldn't know that she was out there fighting. Astoria wanted to fight for what she believed in, she wanted to protect her sister on the battlefield.

She jumped up from her bed and stood in front of the mirror. For a moment, she caressed the long blonde locks that fell to below her shoulder blades. Then she took a deep breath, gathered them up in one hand, and swiped her wand over them, casting the cutting curse as she did so. A colour alteration charm had the remaining hair turning red and she looked like a Weasley from a distance.

Weasley wasn't her preferred choice for pretending to be from another family, but they were easiest due to the large number of them and their famed red hair. Astoria glanced over her image once more to check that it was as good as it would get, ripped the Greengrass emblem off her robes and then raced out of the room. Nothing would stop her from going to battle for her family and beliefs.


	79. Summer's End

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Prompt: Persephone  
Word count: 328

* * *

"You spend far too long in the underworld, Harry."

Harry sighed as he paused in his packing. "It is part of the deal, Mother."

"The cold seasons grow longer as you remain in the world of the dead for longer. There is a need for Spring and Summer as well."

"It's not completely my fault, Mother. You also hold power over the seasons."

Lily pushed off the doorframe and placed her hands over Harry's. "I am not you."

"No, you're not. I happen to love Blaise and his world, unlike you. Yes, it's not as green as above, but it's my home just as much as here is. We have been over this, Mother. Many times."

"I know," Lily said, sinking down onto Harry's bed. "I just wish I could see you more. It used to be not a day would go by without us talking and now I do not see you for half the year."

"And Blaise also only sees me for half of the year. This is the best solution and it is the one we will stick with. Please, stop trying to change my mind."

Lily smiled sadly at her son. "I shall try."

"That's all I can ask of you. Now I must go."

He threw the last few things into his suitcase and slammed it shut. Giving his mother a quick hug before leaving, he vanished out of the door with the suitcase trailing after him. Blaise would be waiting at the entrance to the underworld and Harry couldn't wait to be back in his arms. He hadn't lied to his mother; Blaise and the underworld were his home now, even if he had been dragged there unknowingly the first time and tricked into staying.

He found himself thanking the pomegranate seeds that had formed a connection between him and the underworld. If he hadn't eaten them, he quite possibly wouldn't be allowed to see Blaise and that was a horrible thought.


	80. Summer Patrol

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Gryffindor MC  
Prompt: Privet Drive  
Word count: 317

* * *

The gang of children sauntered around the area surrounding Privet Drive. This place was their hunting ground and no one was safe from them unless it was the Summer. In the Summer months, their favourite punching bag returned from the correctional school he had been sent to and they focused their attentions on him.

It was Summer now and the group were on patrol. Harry Potter was at home, looking out his window as people went about their business. The home of the Dursley's wasn't the safest of places but it was safer than walking outside when it drew close to nightfall. At least at the Dursley's he only had to deal with his relatives. Dudley's gang didn't tend to attack him when they were in view of Petunia or Vernon Dursley.

They probably thought they'd be accused of corrupting the Dursley's precious Duddikins. Something which was entirely likely. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had blinders on when it came to their son. Even when he was clearly morbidly obese, they insisted he simply had baby fat and plenty of padding for the future years. Harry scoffed to himself as he thought of how spoiled Dudley was. Meanwhile, Harry got the second bedroom still full of Dudley's junk that was either broken or he didn't want anymore.

The gang of children rounded a corner and came into Harry's sight. They broke apart and Dudley approached his home as the rest headed to their own places. Even before the front door was open, Dudley was asking about dinner. A few moments later, Uncle Vernon shouted for Harry to start cooking.

Having anticipated the call, Harry was already making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He ignored the chatter coming from the living room that was Dudley telling his father about what he and his friends had done. He couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts.


	81. Visitor of a Prisoner

**Forum Block  
**Stacked With: MC4A; Hogwarts; SN  
Individual Challenges: In a Flash; Click Bait It; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux  
Representations: Loki; Mind control  
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Ameliorate  
Prompt: Loki  
Word count: 370  
Fandom: Avengers

* * *

Loki looked up as someone stopped at his cell. He didn't get many visitors and his mother had already been by that day. The man who had stopped was short and looked almost exactly like him. Black hair down to the shoulders, green eyes full of mischief, and a slight frame that belied the hidden strength Loki instinctively knew was there.

He sneered at the man. "Come to stare at the imprisoned prince?"

The man shook his head and stepped closer to the barrier. He ran his hands over the golden light, making it shift and shimmer as it detected touch. With a small sound of understanding, he pushed through the barrier and somehow joined Loki in his cell.

Loki stared at him in shock. The barriers were supposed to be impenetrable, and even if they weren't, they required more force than simply stepping through them. The man smiled and walked over to the small table Loki was sitting at, taking the empty chair across from him.

"Am I correct in assuming you are Loki, son of Frigga?"

"Laufey," Loki corrected bitterly. "I am a son of Laufey."

"And of Frigga, for she has claimed you fully."

Loki pushed the thought away. He held no hatred for his mother but thinking of her brought thoughts of Odin and the lie he had lived his entire life. "Why are you here? And how did you get through the barrier?"

"To answer your second question first; magic, of course." The man said it as though it was no small matter.

"There is no magic that can pierce those barriers as easily as you did."

"None that you know, young one."

Loki rose an eyebrow at that. He was young to this stranger? "I shall add another question to the list; who are you?"

"I am Harry. As for why I am here, you have some residue that is best cleared up. It does not do to leave such powerful magics lying around and clogging the mind."

"You know." Loki hadn't thought anyone knew. He certainly hadn't thought anyone would believe him if he told the truth.

Harry nodded and sipped the cup of tea that had materialised in his hand. "I know."


End file.
